Chocolate & Pumpkin Ice Cream
by silvernatasha
Summary: ***COMPLETED*** George/Hermione romance. Now that the relationship is completely out in the open, what's going to happen?
1. Chapter One

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.   
**A/N:** Right. This is my third George/Hermione fic. This plotline has been bugging me for a while, so I've finally started writing it to get it out of my system. Anyone who's read any of my other fics will know I am also an H/Hr shipper, but sometimes I just get the urge to write Ge/Hr. never fear, though - I'm still continuing with all my H/Hr fics. Now on with the story..._

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter One**

*** 

  
  


"Why so glum, Little Bee?" 

Hermione looked up from her copy of the Daily Prophet to see George Weasley stood above her, holding an ice cream cone. She was sat outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. It was a rather hot day in the middle of July and the twenty-five year old was glad to be on her lunch break. She sighed as he took a seat at her table and set down her paper and quill. She had been trying to complete the Daily Prophet crossword, which was particularly difficult. 

"Why do you call me 'Little Bee'?" she asked. 

"Because you're always so busy," he replied, taking a lick of his ice cream. Judging by the smell of it, it was peanut butter and pumpkin flavour. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I'm depressed?" 

"I never said you were depressed," pointed out George, pointing his ice cream at her, "merely... down. I've only ever seen you eat a whole quadruple chocolate sundae when something's not right." 

Hermione looked down at the empty glass bowl and gave a wry smile. "Me and Daniel broke up," she said frowning. 

"I'm sorry to hear it." 

"No you're not." 

George grinned broadly. "Okay, so I'm not. I hated him. We all did. He wasn't good enough for you." 

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks. For some reason I actually believe you." 

"Cheer up, Little Bee. We're off to Paris this afternoon!" he reminded her. 

"Huh?" 

"Paris. Ron's wedding." 

"Oh," Hermione said, suddenly remembering. George eyes her suspiciously and Hermione tensed under his gaze. She nervously ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair. 

"Are you sure you'll be okay locking up, today?" He was referring to 3W, the joke shop which the Weasley twins owned. Hermione was the manager and they had asked her to close the shop up that day as they had to be in Paris early to help with their younger brother's wedding. 

"Yes! Contrary to popular belief, I'm not stupid." 

"I never said you were stupid," said George, lobbing the last f his ice cream into a nearby bin. "Yuck. Why did I buy that thing?" he asked her. 

"Impulse," they both said at the same time. 

George grinned. "See you later, Little Bee." He Disapparate, leaving Hermione alone with her crossword. With a fed-up sigh she threw her paper into the bin along with the ice cream. She left the money for her ice cream on the table and set off down the street to 3W. 3W was a quaint little shop. From the outside it looked just like all the other shops in Diagon Alley. There was an Apothecary on one side and a book shop on the other. 

To her immense relief, there were no customers for the rest of the afternoon, save Harry, who came to stock up on 'supplies' for Ron's wedding. 

"Honestly, Harry! It's Ron's _wedding_!" Hermione had said to him, but he had just grinned at her. 

"He'd do the same sort of thing at my wedding," he replied. Hermione couldn't help but agreed. Sometimes she felt that Harry and Ron had become more immature with age, instead of more mature. The strange thing was, that Fred and George had actually grown up since leaving Hogwarts. 

Fred was married and had a baby son who was three months old. George however, much to his mothers chagrin, was the only Weasley who was single. She kept pressuring him to 'settle down and raise a family', something George wasn't entirely keen on. 

When Hermione locked up the shop that evening, just after five o'clock, she Apparated home. After showering and collecting together her last few belongings, she Flooed to the Burrow, the Weasley's house, where she was to take a Portkey to Paris. Ron's wedding was going to be held in the Wizarding part of the French capital, though as his bride was half-Muggle, there were certain differences to this wedding than a normal Wizarding wedding. 

Ron's fiancee, Amanda was to be wearing a Muggle gown rather than robes, as would the bridesmaids. Hermione was a bridesmaid. Her dress was, to her surprise, maroon. 

Molly and Arthur were waiting at the Burrow for her when she arrived. Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley, was there as well. Molly, Ron's mother, looked to be full of excitement and was rather emotional at the prospect of one of her son's getting married. 

"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry to hear about Daniel!" 

"Don't be, Molly. I'm better off without him." 

Mrs Weasley gave her a sceptical look, as though she didn't believe that Hermione could cope on her own, even though she was twenty-five years old. "Well, if you're sure you're all right, dear..." 

"I am," Hermione confirmed. "Shall we go?" 

Molly's eyes filled with excitement at the thought of the wedding. "Yes, let's." 

They arrived in Paris just a couple of minutes later. They were greeted by Ron and Amanda, as well as the rest of the Weasley brothers. The wedding was to be held the next day, but that evening there was to be a small dinner party as well as a rehearsal for the wedding. 

Hermione sat through the rehearsal, feeling slightly bored. She did what she had to do, secretly wishing that she could get this over and done with so they could get to the party - she was dying for a good drink. "You bored as well?" George whispered in her ear. He was stood behind her. She nodded. 'It'll be over soon' he reassured her. 

At the dinner party, Hermione found herself sat next to George. "Is it me or do we keep running into each other today?" he asked with a wry smile. 

"I think it's just you, George," Hermione said, taking a sip of her white wine. She sighed. "Look around. Don't you feel like the odd one out? We're the only single people in this entire room!" 

Looking around, George could see this was true. They were the only (adults) in the room who weren't in a relationship of sorts; Ron was with Amanda, there were various Mr and Mrs Weasley's around the room, Ginny was with her boyfriend of two years, Peter Orion, and Harry was with his long-term girlfriend, Laura MacAllister. "That's just downright depressing," he said, and Hermione nodded her agreement. "We could always change that though," he added slyly. 

Hermione was about to ask how, but when she saw the mischievous grin on his face she exclaimed, "George Weasley! Don't even think like that!" 

His grin broadened, especially when Hermione hit him on the arm. "Don't worry, Hermione. I'm sure your days as a single girl are numbered. Who could resist someone like you?" he said earnestly. 

"Most people, by the looks of it," sighed Hermione. She set her glass down and looked straight at him. "I'm twenty-five years old. I want to settle down. I want to have a loving husband. I want to have a big family. Heck, I even want a white picket fence. But, none of that's ever likely to happened the rate I'm going." 

"Poor Little Bee," George said, sympathetically. His expression changed, as though a switch had been thrown. "Let's make a deal," he said. 

"What kind of deal?" Hermione asked slowly, narrowing her eyes. 

"We're friends, right?" Hermione nodded. "Well, if neither of us is married or in a relationship by the time you're thirty and I'm thirty-two, we'll get married." 

"A back-up plan?" asked Hermione, her brow creased. 

"Why not? If you can't marry someone you love, why not marry a friend?" 

Hermione smiled. She seemed to ponder the situation. She held out her hand. "Okay, deal." If George was surprised, he hid it well and shook her hand. He then held up his wine glass and Hermione followed suite. 

"To... friendship," he said confidently. 

"To friendship," Hermione echoed. She grinned as their glasses clinked together. 

***

_**A/N:** Okay, that was the first chapter. Amazingly, I do actually have a plot for this fic, and it probably isn't what you'd think it would be from this first chapter. Please review. I love reviews, and any thoughts/ideas for this fic will be greatly appreciated._

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	2. Chapter Two

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.   
**A/N:** Chapter Two is a lot longer than Chapter One, so be warned! On with the story... _

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Two**

*** 

  
  


There was a loud knock on the door of George's hotel room and Ron Weasley poked his head round the door. "You better get up, George! I'm getting married in a few hours!" 

"I'd never have guessed," George told him from where he was still lying in bed, covered by the sheets. 

"Well, I am! I'm getting married!" 

"Good for you, bro. Go wake Mum and Dad up. Better yet - go wake Percy up." Ron grinned, giving George the thumbs up and left, shutting the door behind him. George gave a sigh of relief and Hermione emerged from beneath the bedcovers. 

"Do you think he knew I was here?" she asked nervously. 

George shook his head. "Nah, Ron's too dense to notice something like that. He didn't even notice your clothes that are flung around everywhere." 

Hermione blushed, looking around the room. Her clothes, and those of George, were strewn around everywhere. She even spotted her underwear hanging from a table lamp. She pulled one of the bed sheets around her body, trying to create a barrier, no matter how flimsy, between the two of them. "Can you actually remember what happened last night?" she asked him. 

He squinted trying to recall what exactly had happened the previous night at Ron and Amanda's pre-wedding dinner party. "I can remember us drowning our sorrows with vodka shots. We were complaining about our non-existent love life's, I think, though that's a little fuzzy." 

It suddenly came rushing back to Hermione. "I remember now. You said something about having to go to bed, and I..." she trailed off, obviously embarrassed. 

"You offered to join me," finished George, the tops of his ears turning red. Hermione nodded in agreement. 

"Oh, gawd," she moaned. She looked at the clock and paled. "I'd better get going," she said, pulling the sheet yet tighter around her. "The wedding's in a couple of hours. I need to get ready." George nodded and Hermione climbed off the bed, and began to collect up her clothes. 

Once she had found all of them, including the underwear on the table lamp, she hurried into the bathroom. A couple of minutes later she emerged in the clothes that she had been wearing the night before, a set of dark blue dress robes over a smart trouser suit. "See you later, George," she said, before Disapparating back to her hotel room with a small 'pop'. 

"'Bye, Little Bee," said George to the space in which Hermione had stood just moments before. He fell back onto the pillows with a groan. _He had slept with one of his brother's best friends. He had slept with one of_ his _best friends!_ Since Hermione had left school and started working for the twins, the two of them had become quite close friends. 

Hermione's job as manager at the Diagon Alley branch of 3W (formerly Weasley's Wizard Wheezes), had originally only been a temporary thing until Hermione found a more permanent job. That was seven years ago. Her logical, businesslike mind was just the thing the company needed - it balanced out Fred and George's reckless creativity and brought a sense of order to their work. 

'I can't believe that happened,' he thought desperately. 'That wasn't supposed to happen.' Of course, another, a more mischievous part of his mind kicked in. 'But you liked it, didn't you? You want her more than anything. You want it to happen again. And again. And again.' George covered his face with one of the pillows. 

He removed the pillow a few moments later, and struggled out of bed towards the bathroom. 'I need a shower,' he thought. 'A _cold_ shower.' 

***

Ron and Amanda's wedding was probably as close to perfection as a Weasley wedding could get. Molly Weasley was crying her eyes out, wailing that her 'little boy was all grown up'. Hermione noticed that Arthur Weasley, Ron's father was watching his wife in some amusement. He had seen this sort of behaviour from her at all of his son's previous wedding's and was actually wondering if he should use a sedative on her when Ginny eventually got married. 

Amanda was a vision in an off-white chiffon dress and a simple, though effective diamond tiara. She belonged to a fairly well-off family, though anyone who saw Ron and Amanda together could tell straight away that he wasn't marrying her for her money. It was like they were soul mates. 

Hermione was almost jealous of Amanda, but she and Ron had dated whilst still at Hogwarts. It had been disastrous. Their normally petty arguments could inflict emotional wounds which would last for days, if not weeks. Eventually there was a mutual agreement between the two that they should not see each other any more, at least, not in a romantic way. 

The reception after the wedding was held at the ballroom in the hotel where the guests were staying. The ballroom was similar in size to that of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, and just as lavish. The ceiling was enchanted so that bright stars were always twinkling against a velvety black backdrop. Heart-shaped silver balloons hung in the air with Ron and Amanda's initials on them. Every so often, one of the balloons would burst with the sound of tinkling bells and confetti would rain gently down on the guests who were dancing to the band who were playing various Muggle and Wizard romance songs. 

About a thousand candles lit the room, creating a romantic atmosphere. From across the ballroom, George Weasley watched Hermione as she sat at one of the small tables, occasionally taking a sip from a tall glass of water. He smiled to himself. She was obviously trying not to get drunk. Hermione was watching those dancing with a strange look in her eyes. It was... longing? 

Eventually he could take it no longer and strode purposely across the ballroom. "Can I have this dance?" he asked nervously. Even he was slightly surprised by this. There was something about Hermione recently that made him feel like a first year at Hogwarts who's too nervous to ask a Prefect for directions and gets lost, subsequently being late for Potions with Professor Snape. 

Hermione gave a small smile. She took a last sip of her water and said, "Sure, why not?" She took his hand and they walked out onto the dance floor where the band had just started to play a slow song. 

They danced in silence for a few moments before George broke the silence, saying, "You look lovely tonight, Hermione." 

She blushed slightly. "Thanks. Your new sister-in-law has very good taste. Well, dress wise, anyway. I'm not too sure about her taste in men." 

"May I remind you that _you_ also dated my brother?" 

"Please don't. I'm trying to repress those memories." Hermione pulled a face. George chuckled at this. Ron and Hermione always looked back on their time as boyfriend and girlfriend with a sense of humour. They had been friends trying to persuade themselves they were something more. They often had a good laugh about it, and Hermione had gladly regaled tales of Ron's attempts at romance to Amanda. 

"Look, Hermione, I think we need to talk about _our_ relationship." 

Hermione's brow furrowed, and she bit her lip. "Are we _in_ a relationship?" she asked, suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable. Was it her or had it suddenly got hotter in the ballroom? "Is that what this is?" 

"I don't think so," said George. He rubbed his forehead, a habit he had when he was troubled. "Last night was just a drunken mistake. A _big drunken mistake_." 

"Exactly," agreed Hermione. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She really need to get a haircut. There was silence between them as they danced before George asked: 

"Do you want to get drunk now?" Hermione arched an eyebrow. "My room?" 

"I'll go wait for you." 

"I'll be there in a couple of minutes," he agreed. Hermione smiled and slipped quickly from the ballroom. When he could no longer see her formfitting maroon dress, he headed straight over to his brother, Fred who was standing at the edge of the dance floor. 

"What's up, George?" 

"The ceiling." 

"I meant is there something wrong, idiot," said Fred, rolling his eyes. George shook his head in response. 

"Nah. If Ron asks where I've gone, tell him I've gone." 

"Hey - have you pulled a girl, mate?" Fred asked with a cheeky grin. 

"No!" George exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. "No, I... just don't feel too good." 

"Ah. You ate the shrimp." 

"Exactly," agreed George, wanting to get out of there. He should have told Percy he was going - he wouldn't have asked any questions. Then again, Percy probably would have told Mrs Weasley that George wasn't well and she would track him down and force feed him her home-made chicken soup. 

"Okay, see you tomorrow, bro," said Fred, patting his brother on the back. 

With a sly smile playing on his lips, George left the ballroom and headed towards Hermione's room on the second floor. 

Fred watched his brother leave and frowned. There had been no shrimp of any kind served at the wedding reception, due to Amanda's unfortunate allergy to it. George was up to something. 

"Where do you think you're going, Fred Weasley?" 

Fred spun around guiltily. "Ah, there you are, Katherine! I was just looking for you!" He smiled brightly at his wife who gave him a patronising look. 

"You were not. You were just about to leave, weren't you?" 

"Hey!" exclaimed Fred suddenly. "Where's Alexander?" 

Katherine sighed. "He's is with his Grandma Weasley." She nodded over in the direction of Mrs Weasley who was playing with her youngest grandson. "And stop trying to change the subject. Where were you going?" she demanded. 

Fred sighed. "Nowhere, dear." 

She smiled. "Good. Now we can dance. Just don't step on my feet!" 

"I'm not making any promises!" said Fred laughing, and he led his wife of two years onto the dance floor, thoughts of his scheming brother banished, albeit temporarily, from his mind. 

***

About a week after the wedding, Ginny Weasley, who was currently between jobs, met up with Hermione when Hermione had finished work for the day. It had become a custom for them to meet up every couple of weeks, and they always met up at the same place, a quaint little cafe at the end of Diagon Alley called _The Gateway_. As it was July, they sat outside at a small metal table under a red umbrella, which sheltered them from the shade. 

As usual, Hermione was late. It was only by a few minutes, but she was almost always late. She wasn't naturally a late person, as anyone who had been to Hogwarts with her would testify, it was just that her work at 3W often consumed her entirely and she would lose track of time. 

When she took her seat opposite Ginny, the younger woman had already ordered their drinks. They always had the same thing; Ginny had a hot chocolate with whipped cream no matter what time of year it was, and Hermione always had the special ice tea. 

"Oh. My. Gawd. You've had sex." 

Hermione was startled by this sudden declaration and she looked around to see if anyone had heard what the redhead had said. If they had, they hadn't taken any notice. "Excuse me?" she demanded. She was sure she sounded guilty. 

"You've slept with someone. Who is it? What's his name? It is a 'he', right?" 

"Of course it's a 'he'," Hermione said, still shocked. She covered her mouth with her hand. She really shouldn't have said that. 

"So you have! Ooh. Now I have to find out _who_." 

"No, you don't!" Hermione said quickly. There was no way on Earth that she was going to let Ginny know what was going on between her and George. What exactly _was_ going on between her and George, anyway? Sure, they had slept together a couple of times. Okay, so almost every night since Ron's wedding, but did that really qualify as a relationship? Hermione's head was starting to hurt. 

"Yes, I do. That's my job." 

"You don't have a job," pointed out Hermione, taking a sip of her ice tea. 

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Not _that_ sort of job. Interfering in people's love life's is my calling in life. The reason I'm on this Earth." 

"I thought you were on this Earth because your parents... you know, twenty-four years ago," said Hermione teasingly. Ginny sighed. 

"Fine, if you're going to be like that, I won't pry into your mystery boyfriend's identity." 

Hearing George referred to as her 'mystery boyfriend' made Hermione's skin tingle. "Whatever, Ginny," she said waving her hand. She took a couple of Galleons from her purse and set them down on the table. "Here's money for the bill, Gin. I have to go back to 3W. I... forgot something." 

"Bye then, Herm." 

Hermione practically sprinted back to 3W. When she burst in through the door, George, who was busy taking down a display started to say, "Sorry, we're closed," but stopped when he realised it was only Hermione. "What are you doing back here, Little Bee?" 

"I forgot something," Hermione told him. 

"Really? What?" 

"You." 

George said nothing, but folded up the last poster. "Is that code for 'we need to talk'?" he asked after a moment. Hermione nodded mutely. "Okay. You want to go to _The Bubbling Cauldron_?" he asked. _The Bubbling Cauldron_ was a Wizards inn not far from George's house. Hermione considered this for a moment, then nodded again. George collected his cloak and put the security charms in place. They then Apparated to the inn. 

The inn was surprisingly quiet. Then again, it was only a little before seven. It would probably start getting busy in about half an hour. George ordered their drinks and they went and sat at a table in a secluded corner. "What's this all about, Hermione? What's the problem?" 

"Ginny." 

"Not quite the answer I was expecting, I admit, but..." 

"Do you know what the first thing she said to me today was?" 

"Erm... hello?" 

"She said, and I quote; 'You've have sex.'" 

George almost choked on his Butterbeer. "She what?" 

"You heard me. Now she's convinced I have some secret boyfriend I'm not telling her about." 

"You do, don't you?" 

"Do I?" Hermione asked. "I mean, are we going out or what?" 

"I don't know." 

"I don't think we are. We're just friends who very occasionally... more often than not... sleep with each other. Right?" A slight pink tinge appeared on her cheeks. 

"Exactly," agreed George, nodding. There was another of those infamous awkward silences between them. George shifted uncomfortably in his chair. 

Hermione sipped her glass of orange juice thoughtfully. "I think this is this opposite of my relationship with Ron." 

"How so?" asked George slightly confused. Hermione was making his head spin more than usual. It was either that or the perfume she was wearing... 'Snap out of it, George,' he reminded himself. 'You're not supposed to think like that! Argh!' He mentally slapped himself, trying to get rid his mind of these thoughts. 

"Well, we were friends trying to convince ourselves we were more." 

It took a few moments for George to realise what she was saying. "What exactly do you mean, Hermione?" he asked quietly. 

She frowned. "I think I'm in love with you," she said after a second. 

"I thought I was the only one!" George said, surprised. 

Hermione gave him a funny look. "You're in love with yourself?" 

"No, I'm in love with you." 

"Oh." 

"Please say something, Hermione," said George quietly, not really sure if he wanted to hear her response. 

Hermione looked across the table at him. She said, "Um, can we go somewhere else?" 

"Your place or mine?" 

"I didn't mean like that!" 

"Neither did I!" said George rolling his eyes. 

"Can we go to my house?" Hermione asked. "It's just that I feel more comfortable there." George nodded and they Apparated to Hermione's small cottage just a few moments later. "Something doesn't feel right," said Hermione as she pulled her key out of her bag. When she opened the door, water flooded out, lapping at their feet. "The boiler burst again," she moaned. 

"You'd better stay at my house," said George. Hermione nodded. 

"Let me get a few things together," she told him. 

She went inside, the water up to her ankles. A couple of minutes later she emerged, carrying a small overnight bag. "Can you believe that this is all that's not ruined?" she asked. The boiler was situated right above her bedroom, and when it had burst, her entire wardrobe had been ruined. There had only been a few robes which weren't destined for the rubbish bin. "I have like, nothing to wear!" 

"You look good whatever you're wearing," George told her, quietly. She smiled. 

"Thank you," she said, rising slightly on her tiptoes to kiss him gently. 

"I should compliment you more often," said George grinning. 

"Definitely," agreed Hermione kissing him again. As they kissed, they Apparated back to George's house. He had originally shared his house with Fred when they had left Hogwarts. Fred had moved out after marrying Katherine and the newlyweds had moved to a slightly larger house about thirty miles outside of London. It was a fairly large house, with a total of six bedrooms. The master bedroom had an en suite bathroom and there was even a small library, though the only access to it was through a hidden passage in the living room. 

Hermione collapsed onto the navy blue couch in the living room as soon as she got inside. The house was decorated in a very Victorian style, but there was also a modern twist to a lot of the rooms, such as the Quidditch posters which hung on the walls and several Muggle devices. It seemed that George had inherited his father's passion for all things Muggle. 

"That's the fifth time my boiler has burst during the last three months!" she wailed. "I am seriously going to have to find somewhere else to live." 

"Why can't you just put some charms on it?" George asked, sitting beside her. 

"The Ministry won't let me," she grumbled. She sighed and looked at George. "So." 

"My sentiments exactly." They both looked thoughtful for a moment, not looking at each other. Suddenly George asked; "Can I kiss you now?" 

"That would be a very good idea," agreed Hermione, smiling. Their lips met, though slightly hesitantly at first, but gradually it developed, becoming more heated and fiery. When they broke apart, panting slightly, they said nothing, but instead stared deep into each other's eyes, dark brown into vivid hazel. 

***

_**A/N:** I hope you liked this chapter! Please review._

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	3. Chapter Three

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.   
**A/N:** Yay! Chapter three is here! And... the first appearance of chocolate and pumpkin ice cream. There is a reason behind the title, which will probably become apparent in the next chapter or so..._

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Three**

*** 

  
  


"You're a lifesaver, Harry. Thank you." 

Harry shrugged. "It's no big deal. I've got a few days off work." 

It was a week or so since Hermione and George had resolved their relationship, becoming an official, though secret, couple. They hadn't told anyone. 

George grinned. Harry had volunteered to test a new product for 3W. It was a quill that looked harmless enough, but once a person had touched it, anyone who used it after them would turn into a duplicate of them for an hour. George was currently holding the quill in his hand. He handed it over to Harry who took it. Harry seemed to shudder, then the metamorphosis began. The first thing to change was his hair, which became a shocking red almost instantly. His scar faded into nothingness and freckles sprung up all over his face. As Harry was about an inch or so taller than George, he shrunk slightly. Within a minute he was an exact duplicate of George Weasley. 

Laughing, George handed him a mirror. Harry gasped upon seeing his reflection. "I really hope this isn't permanent." 

"It isn't," George told him. "We've tested it before. This is the final stage of testing." Harry nodded. 

A strange beeping noise filled the room and George groaned. He pulled his MagiPager from his pocket and examined it. "Will you be all right here for a few minutes? I have to go and sort something out." 

"I think I'm mature enough to be left alone in a joke shop," said Harry. George grinned, then Disapparated. 

Harry settled himself down at the work table, picking up a copy of the Daily Prophet, which he began to flick through. He and George were in the workshop which was behind the store. He could hear Fred out front serving some customers. After a few minutes, Hermione came in, settling some shopping bags down on the table. 

"Good morning," she said brightly. 

"Morning, Hermione," Harry replied looking up. "How are you?" 

She took a seat next to him at the table and pulled a bottle of water out of one of her bags. "Fine. A little tired, maybe, but fine otherwise. You?" 

"I feel a little strange, to be honest," Harry told her honestly. 

Hermione smiled. "Well maybe I could sort that out," she said, leaning forward. She kissed him gently, and Harry almost fell off his stool. 

"Wha... what was that?" Harry asked, backing away from her. "Why did you kiss me?" 

She looked shocked and hurt. "What do you mean, why did I kiss you?" she asked angrily. 

"I mean 'why did you kiss me?'" 

Hermione looked at him closely, looking into his eyes. She gasped, turning pale. "You're... you're not George," she whispered meekly. Her eyes widened. "Harry?" she asked. He nodded. She looked at the floor, not wanting to meet Harry's eyes. "Oh, God..." 

"Um, Hermione, I can understand you thinking I was George," said Harry quietly, "but why did you kiss me? Him. Whatever." Hermione blushed heavily, and Harry suddenly realised Hermione and George's secret. "How many people know?" he asked in amazement. 

"Just you," she told him. 

George suddenly appeared in the workshop with a small 'pop'. He instantly noticed Harry's embarrassed expression and Hermione's upset face. "What's going on?" he asked. 

"Why didn't you tell me you were testing the Duplicate Quill today?" Hermione demanded, rising from her seat. She walked over to George. 

"I didn't think you'd care," said George with a shrug. "Why?" 

"Because I just kissed Harry!" 

"Oh. So, I'm guessing he knows about us?" 

"You could say that, yes," agreed Harry. 

George sighed. "What are we going to do?" he asked Hermione. Hermione thought for a second. 

"Memory charm?" she asked hopefully. 

"No!" said George. He was actually a little surprised. Shouldn't he have been the one suggesting a memory charm and Hermione be the one telling him 'no'? "We're not putting memory charms on our friends." Hermione frowned. 

"Well, then I'm fresh out of ideas!" she admitted. 

"Harry," said George. "Can we trust you to not tell anyone?" 

"Why? asked Harry. "This is like news of the century! Can you just imagine everyone's reactions?" He grinned. "You can't keep your relationship a secret forever!" 

"Well, we'd like to try," Hermione told him. "Harry, you don't understand how serious we are about this. About each other. For practically the first time in my life I'm in a good relationship." She was quiet for a moment. "Plus, if you tell anyone, I'll send that picture of you snogging Ron at his twenty-first birthday to the Daily Prophet," she added. 

Harry paled beneath his newly acquired freckles. "We were both totally drunk!" he protested. 

Hermione shrugged. "They don't have to know that." 

For a moment, Harry considered his options. He either spilled the beans about George and Hermione and had a picture of him and Ron kissing splashed over the front of all the newspapers in the world, resulting in Ron hating him and eternal embarrassment, or he kept his mouth shut. "Okay, I won't say anything," he told them. 

George and Hermione smiled at each other. "Thanks, Harry," said George. Harry shrugged. 

"So what now?" asked Hermione. 

"Well, for one, I think you owe me a kiss," George told her. 

"I think I can fix that," said Hermione, tilting her head upwards. Their lips met in a soft kiss. It was gentle to start with, but when their lips met, it was as if the world around them disappeared. 

Seeing that they weren't about to come up for air anytime soon, Harry said, "I... I think I'll go and see if Fred needs any help out front..." He quickly slipped out of the workshop, but both George and Hermione were oblivious to his disappearance. 

***

"Good morning, Little Bee." 

Hermione opened her eyes to see a smiling George looking across the bed at her. "Morning," she said, smiling. He moved slightly so he could plant a kiss on her lips. 

"So what are you doing today?" he asked her. 

"I'm going house hunting this morning," she said. The repairs are costing loads on my cottage. It'll be cheaper if I live somewhere else." She rested her head on his shoulder and he placed a kiss on the top of her head. 

"You could always move in here," he told her. 

Hermione looked up at him. "I can't," she told him. "People'll get suspicious." 

George grinned. "What? Of two friends living together?" 

She considered this for a moment. "I suppose so. We could say it was for convenience?" she suggested. 

"See, now you're thinking like a Weasley." 

Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm not thinking _like_ a Weasley, I'm thinking _about_ a Weasley." She smiled seductively. 

"Really?" asked George. "And which Weasley would that be?" 

She planted a row of kisses along his jaw line. "Percy, obviously." 

"Why don't I believe you?" he asked. 

"Because I'm an awful liar," admitted Hermione. He kissed her gently, and she said, "You know, now that I've sorted out my living arrangements, I've got the morning free." 

"So do I," George told her. 

"Hmmm..." Hermione said, trying to sound thoughtful. "I wonder what we could do?" 

"Are you always this horny in the morning?" George asked. 

"Only when I'm around you," she whispered, capturing his lips in a forceful kiss. She could feel him smile against her lips, before he started to slowly unbutton her pyjama top. She shivered slightly under the touch of his hand against her bare skin, but soon forgot as they became completely engrossed in each other... 

***

Fred Weasley was not happy. George had failed to turn up for work on time for the tenth day in a row. Normally this wouldn't have bothered him, himself not being the most punctual of people. But now he was getting annoyed .They were trying to merge their business with a small joke company called 'Laugh a Minute' and George was vital to the proceedings. 

Was it just him or had George been getting later since Hermione had officially moved in with him two weeks before? He dismissed this immediately. Hermione was a stickler for punctuality. Of course, she always worked in the afternoon - she didn't have to worry about getting up early. 

He looked at his watch. It read just a little after ten. George should be out of bed by now, shouldn't he? 

It took him a while to find his key to George's house, as the door was still locked. He had kept a key, even though he had moved out some time ago. he quietly opened the door and went in. The door closed automatically behind him, due to a nifty charm that had been put in place. 

There was no sound coming from anywhere, so he padded up the stairs to George's bedroom. He pushed open the door and stared in amazement at what he saw. Hermione was lying in bed next to George, one arm draped across his bare stomach, a small smile on her face. Her head was resting gently on his chest and George had one arm wrapped protectively around her. 

Fred quickly closed the door. That wasn't exactly what he thought he'd see when he went to wake George up. He quickly left, not wishing to see anymore. No wonder Hermione had had no reservations about moving in with his lout of a brother. 

He wondered how long it had been going on, eventually coming to the conclusion that it must had had something to do with Ron's wedding and George's mysterious disappearance. 

When he arrived back at 3W a few minutes later, Harry was there waiting for him. 

"Uh, where's George?" he asked. 

"At home in bed," said Fred quickly. He was sure he was blushing. 

"Right." Harry nodded. He seemed a little embarrassed by this response. 

Fred looked at him curiously. "Harry? Can I tell you something if you promise not to tell anyone?" 

Harry looked startled. "No! No secrets! I don't want any more secrets!" 

"You have secrets?" asked Fred. 

"No! No secrets whatsoever," said Harry, looking guilty. 

"Do you know something?" 

"What are you on about?" asked Harry, trying, though failing, to look innocent. 

"Oh, it's nothing." He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Oh, darn it. George has got that book I need. Would you mind going to his house and getting it? It's probably in this bedroom." 

Harry paled considerably. "I-in his bedroom?" he stammered. His eyes widened. "You know!" he exclaimed. 

Fred gaped. "You mean you know as well? George and Hermione?" 

"Yes!" Harry looked extremely relieved. "You do not know how long I've been wishing someone else knew! Keeping this a secret is killing me!" 

"How long have they been together?" asked Fred curiously. 

"I think Hermione said since Ron's wedding." 

"Whoa," Fred took a seat at the workbench. "This is major stuff. How serious are they?" 

Harry shrugged, and ran a hand through his untamed dark hair. "I dunno. Pretty serious, I guess. I was talking with Hermione the other day and George came into the room. Her face just lit up when she saw him." 

"You think they're in love?" Fred asked. 

"Could be. I'm guessing George won't be in this morning. I'd better go. Do you want to meet up for a drink this evening? I can tell you everything I know." Fred nodded. 

"Sure. See you later, Harry." Harry nodded and Disapparated. 

Harry and Fred met at the Three Broomsticks later that evening. The place was as crowded as it normally was, and the smell of beer wafted through the air. Fred was already there waiting when Harry arrived at a little after eight. They talked over a couple of pints before the subject of George and Hermione came up. "So why don't they want anyone to know?" Fred asked. 

"I asked George about that. Something about them both being in really screwy relationships before and this one actually being good. Personally I think that the whole secrecy/no-one knows thing just makes the sex better." 

"Okay, Harry. I know George is my twin and everything, but I do not want the ins and outs of his sex life." 

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. To be honest, I don't know much. They're pretty intense, though. We're talking Ron and Amanda intense." Fred raised an eyebrow at this. Ron and Amanda had one of the most intense relationships he had ever seen. 

***

"So is he any good?" 

"Ginny!" 

The redhead grinned. "What? As your best friend I have a right to know everything about your love life. Plus, I need gossip." 

"You really need a job, Ginny," said Hermione. Unbeknown to her, Fred had discovered her relationship with George almost a week before. A young-looking waitress placed their orders down in front of them as she spoke. They thanked her and continued on with their conversation. 

"Don't I know it. I've actually got a job interview. Thing is, it's in America." 

Hermione frowned. "Well, I suppose it's a job." 

Ginny nodded slowly. "Yeah, it pays pretty well as well. Hey, don't you hate pumpkin ice cream?" 

"With a fiery passion," agreed Hermione. "It tastes nothing like pumpkin. It lacks flavour of any kind, actually." 

"Then why did you order it?" Ginny asked, pointing at Hermione dish. They were at Florean Fortescues Ice Cream Parlour. Ginny had dropped by 3W for a brief visit and persuaded her to come for lunch. As _The Gateway_ was shut for redecorating, Ginny had chosen the ice cream parlour. "And is that chocolate ice cream as well?" 

Hermione nodded. "Sure is. Oh, don't give me that look!" she protested. She scooped up a spoonful of the ice cream and swallowed it. "I had a weird sort of craving for it." 

Ginny pulled a face. "Does it taste nice?" she asked. 

"Not particularly," said Hermione, taking another bite. 

"Oh. Well, are you going to answer my question? Is your mystery boyfriend any good?" 

Hermione felt her skin tingle. Why did she always react like that when people referred to her mystery boyfriend? Everyone knew by now that she had a 'mystery boyfriend', thanks to Ginny, the Queen of Gossip. "You can't ask me that!" 

"I just did," said Ginny, a smug smile on her face. 

"I don't think you want to know," said Hermione seriously. She was secretly wondering how Ginny would react if she found out that she was asking how good her brother was in bed. She smiled slightly at the thought, but Ginny must have thought her smile meant something different. 

"Don't hide things from me, Hermione. I really want to know!" 

"No, you don't," Hermione reassured her. 

"Yes. I. Do." 

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Fine,' she thought. 'I'll tell you.' "Okay, Ginny! Yes! He is. He's amazing. It's like we connect on some other level, not just a physical one. When I'm with him, it's like nothing else matters. Is that what you wanted to hear?" 

"Yes, actually," said Ginny, smiling broadly. "I like talking about your relationships," she told her. "They're so much more interesting than mine. So when are we going to find out who this guy is?" 

"I don't know," Hermione admitted. 'I just hope it isn't soon.' 

"Ginny, it's seven thirty in the morning. Neither of them will be up yet," Fred warned his younger sister. 'And if they are, I don't want to know what they're doing,' he thought. It was two days later, and Ginny had dragged her older brother to George and Hermione house at seven thirty in the morning. 

She claimed she had dragged Fred out of bed because she didn't like to Apparate and she couldn't use a car. Plus she had forgotten to pay her Floo bill, and her flat had been disconnected from the network. She also didn't Apparate because she had failed the test four times and had actually given up on ever being able to Apparate properly. 

"I want to say goodbye before I go to America for my job interview," she told him. 

"You're only going for three days!" he reminded her. 

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I like to be personal." He wrenched the key from Fred's hand and unlocked the door. She stepped inside and stopped in her tracks. Muffled sounds could be heard from upstairs. The unmistakable cry of a woman could also be heard. "I don't believe it! George has got some girlfriend here, and with Hermione here!" Her face contorted into one of complete shock when the cry was heard again. "Oh, God. I think that _is_ Hermione." 

Fred grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her out of the house, locking the door. Ginny was now starting to babble. "Oh my God. My brother and my best friend. They're doing it right now! Oh, gawd..." She gasped. "Hermione's secret boyfriend was George!" she realised. She turned pale. "That means all the time I've been asking her how good her boyfriend is I've been asking how good my _brother_ is... oh God..." 

"Yes, Ginny. That is Hermione. And you can't tell anyone," Fred told her sternly. 

"You knew?" she exclaimed. 

"Yes! I found out by accident. Luckily they weren't doing anything when I saw them in bed together. Harry is the only one who 'officially' knows." 

"They don't know that you know?" 

"No. Harry knows I know, but they don't I know." 

"Ginny, promise me you won't tell anyone," he said. "They don't want anyone to know." 

Ginny nodded mutely. "I won't say a word," she said quietly, still in deep shock. 

***

_**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Please review, I appreciate your feedback._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapters One & Two:_   
sugar-n-spice - Thanks for telling me about that little mistake *blushes*. I'll fix it ASAP. :)   
Liz Tucker - Yes, I'm planning on writing some fluffy scenes in the next few chapters.   
Teigra - No, he isn't causing her boiler to break. That's just a coincidence. I'm glad you like the name of the fic. It was the first thing I could think of.   
Lea - Thanx!   
slinky - That was kind of my inspiration for this fics, though there will be a twist.   
SAngel - Is this soon enough? :)   
Kaitzee - Thanx? Don't worry, I don't mind babblers. I tend to babble a lot myself. See? I'm babbling right now...   
Weasley-Gurl - Romantic comedies seem to be the thing I'm best at writing. I'm going to try and put a bit more romance in the next few chapters.   
weetziefairie - She just knew. Ginny's kind of weird like that (at least _my_ Ginny is!)   
Tara - Thanx!   
Glimmermaid - Thanx! I know they aren't very common, which is one of the reasons I like writing them - there's so much you can do with them.   
Spazzy - Thanx!   
weetziefairie - I think someone needs to cut your chocolate supply off.   
Dark Moon - Thanx!   
Greenleaf Arrow - I take every review as a compliment. Hey, even flames are compliments if you look at them in a strange way. obviously people care enough about your work to flames it! :)   
Beccs - Thanx!   
Kitty Felton - Thanx! I'll try an keep my imagination going! :D   
Ravenclawgirly - Thanx! 

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	4. Chapter Four

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.   
**A/N:** Chapter Four is finally here! yay! Go me! Okay, now I've got the self-appreciation over and done with, on with the story..._

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Four**

*** 

  
  


"Hermione, what are you doing on Saturday?" Hermione turned around and gave George a curious, puzzled look. She placed her hands on her hips. 

"Nothing. Why?" she asked suspiciously. 

"Fred kind of persuaded me to look after Alexander." He gave her a sheepish grin. "I also kind of... told him you'd help me." 

"What?" exploded Hermione. "You know what I'm like with little children. They don't like me much, either." 

"Sorry, but I've finalised the arrangements. Hey, don't worry," he told her, approaching her and taking her into his arms. "He's only a few months old. All he does is eat, drink, poop and sleep." 

"Like father, like son," murmured Hermione, resting her head on his chest. 

George grinned. "See, if you can handle Fred at work, little Alexander shouldn't a be a problem." 

"Hang on, did you say Saturday?" asked Hermione. George nodded. She frowned. "I'm supposed to be going to Diagon Alley with Ginny." 

"Well, we can all go." 

"I don't know..." He leant down and kissed her gently. "Okay, you can come," she said, her eyes still closed. 

Alexander Levelle Weasley looked somewhat how Hermione imagined Fred and George must have looked when they were his age. Then again, Fred was his father. He had his mother's big blue eyes, but had inherited the trademark Weasley hair. "And how's my little nephew?" asked George when he awoke from his sleep. Alexander had been asleep when he had collected him from Fred and Katherine's house. 

Almost instantly the baby began to cry. George picked him out of his carry cot and held him, rocking him gently. Alexander continued to cry, no matter what George did. When Hermione entered the room she shook her head and put down the bag she was carrying. She took Alexander from George's arms and began to rock him from side to side, murmuring things in his ear. 

He stopped crying after a minute or so, and was quiet. "How did you do that?" George asked in amazement. 

Still rocking him, Hermione said, "The poor little guy was confused. You look like his daddy, but he could tell you weren't." 

"How?" 

"You don't smell like Fred," she said simply, stroking the baby's red hair. 

"Are you saying I smell?" demanded George in mock anger. 

"No, I'm saying you use a different after shave." 

George smiled, noticing how comfortable Hermione seemed to be, holding Alexander in her arms. "I thought you didn't like little children," he commented. 

Hermione frowned. "Not normally. But... something feels different. I can't quite put my finger on it." She smiled at Alexander. "Shall we go and see Auntie Ginny?" she asked him. He gurgled in delight. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," she said, her smile growing. 

They arrived in Diagon Alley about fifteen minutes later. It had taken them a while to get all of Alexander's things together. It had been a while since George had looked after any of his nieces or nephews and he had forgotten just how much 'stuff' they accumulated. 

Ginny was waiting for them outside Flourish and Blotts. "I got the job!" she announced happily. She had just returned from her job interview in America. "I'm the new Head of International Communications." 

"And what exactly does that mean?" asked Hermione, who was still cradling Alexander in her arms. He had taken to crying every time she passed him to George or put him in pram. 

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Something to do with communications, I think," she said brightly. Hermione rolled her eyes and George chuckled softly. 

"I'm thinking maybe they didn't hire her for her intelligence," George whispered in Hermione's ear. Hermione smiled. Ginny, however, wasn't amused. 

"I heard that George Weasley!" she exclaimed. "Her tone softened when she said, "But seeing as you're going to buy me and Hermione ice cream's I think I can forgive you." 

"How nice of you," muttered George under his breath as they set of for Florean Fortescue's which was near the other end of the street. Ginny walked a few paces behind George and Hermione. As Hermione was still holding Alexander, George was pushing his pram. Was it just Ginny or did they look like a young family out for the day? 

"Right? So what are you ladies having?" asked George as they stood inside Florean Fortescue's, studying the large list of flavours on the wall. Ginny told him almost instantly that she wanted mint chocolate chip but Hermione spent a few minutes studying the menu before eventually deciding upon chocolate and pumpkin flavour. 

"What is it with you and that combination?" asked Ginny as she and Hermione sat at a table outside while George ordered their ice creams. He joined them a couple of minutes later. 

"I don't know. I just feel like eating it," Hermione admitted. "To tell the truth it's disgusting, but I can't stop eating it!" 

Their ice creams arrived a few minutes later, and Hermione ate hers hungrily, while George, who had only ordered a small vanilla cone, amused Alexander. Alexander had seemed to accept that George wasn't his daddy and that he just looked a lot like him. 

"She's probably just stressed," said George. Ginny gave him a strange look. "She eats chocolate ice cream when she's stressed or worried about something!" 

"Maybe it's got something to do with her secret boyfriend," suggested Ginny, looking pointedly at Hermione. Hermione blushed heavily. Ginny noticed out of the corner of her eye that George fidgeted uncomfortably when she said that. 

"So are you going to go and live in America?" George asked his sister, trying to change the subject. 

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, the company has a house for me over there. But I'm going to come back every weekend," she promised. 

"Lucky us," said George. 

"Hey! You know you'd hate it if I went away permanently. I'm your favourite little sister." 

"You're my only little sister," pointed out George. "In fact, you're my only sister." 

""And that's why you love me," said Ginny brightly. 

"Uh, huh," agreed George in a less than interested tone. Ginny grinned at him. 

***

"Just move that a little..." 

"Is that better?" 

"Yes. Now see if you can..." 

"I think I'm getting better at this!" 

"I think you are you. Maybe you'll be as good as Ron one day," Hermione said. 

"Hey!" protested George. "I thought you promised you wouldn't compare me to Ron?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione apologised. "But it's hard not to." 

Listening to their conversation from outside the workshop door, Fred Weasley was wondering what George and Hermione were actually talking about. Or what they were doing. It all sounded rather... well, Fred preferred not to think about it. 

He knocked nervously on the door and cleared his throat. "Err, can I come in?" 

"Just a sec," called Hermione. She giggled slightly, and a second later you could hear the sound of the door being unlocked. "You can come in now!" 

"What are you two doing?" Fred asked, pushing the door open. 

"Playing chess," George informed him grinning. Fred's face flushed. He hadn't been expecting _that_ answer. George instructed a bishop to move and Hermione studied the board, contemplating her next move. Before she could order her Queen to move, the board exploded. A mushroom-shaped cloud of purple smoke rose from the board. 

Coughing, the two of the waved the smoke away. "What do you think, Fred?" asked George while Hermione opened a window. "It's kind of a mixture between Wizards chess and Exploding Snap." 

"It's good. I was, uh, just coming to check up on you," he stammered. He picked up a random quill that was lying on the workbench. "And get this," he said quickly. "Now I've got it, I'm going to go." He quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him. Hermione watched as he left. 

"You win," George told her sullenly, looking at the chess board. It had been his black pieces which had exploded, not her white ones. 

"Do I get a prize?" she asked. 

"I think we can arrange that," he told her slyly. He leant across the chess set where the pieces were rearranging themselves. He kissed her gently and sat back in his chair, smiling. "What about me. Do I get a consolation prize?" 

"Definitely," Hermione told him. She kissed him, and when she sat back in her chair, he had a slightly dazed expression on his face. 

"I think I'm going to have to lose more often," he told her. She beamed and then began to pack the test chess pieces away. They were still prototypes and she kept them in a fireproof box in case they exploded unexpectedly. George had almost lost his eyebrows the first few times they had tried playing, so they had had to change the force of the explosion. It was quite a tricky job. 

She suddenly dropped a piece, and it clattered to the floor. "He knows!" she exclaimed. 

"Pardon?" 

She pointed at the door, her finger shaking. "He, he knows! Fred _knows_!" 

"What? How can you be so sure? Okay, so he made up a pathetic excuse to come in here and blushed when I said we were just playing chess, but that could mean... he knows!" George suddenly realised. Hermione nodded. "Okay, this is not good." Hermione shook her head. She picked up the bishop that she had dropped and placed it in the box silently while it shook it's tiny fist at her. 

"Ding, dong! Avon calling!" Harry poked his head around the door of the back entrance to the workshop. He was grinning and carrying a large ice cream. 

Hermione and George looked at each other. George nodded. "Hi, Harry! It's so good to see you," said Hermione standing up. She pushed him into a chair. 

"It's, uh, nice to see you too." 

"Harry, does Fred know about us?" George asked, standing next to Harry. Because Harry was sitting, George towered over him, intimidating him somewhat. 

Harry's green eyes widened. "I swear I didn't tell them!" 

"Them?" demanded Hermione angrily. 

Realising his mistake, Harry tried to cover his tracks. "Fred and... Harry." 

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. 

"Okay, okay! Ginny. But I didn't tell them." 

"How did they find out then?" asked George. 

Harry squinted, trying to remember. "Fred said that he went to your house to wake George up one morning and he saw you sleeping in the same bed. Ginny found out just before she went for her job interview. She got Fred to take her to your house and they kind of... heard you." 

"Heard us?" asked Hermione. Then it dawned on her what he meant. "Oh." She blushed furiously. 

"This is okay now!" Harry told them. "Now everyone can know. You don't have to hide this any more. Now you can tell everyone and I won't have to keep secrets!" 

Hermione turned to George. "I don't think I'm ready for everyone to find out," she said. 

"Me neither," he agreed. 

"We could have a little fun with this," said Hermione. "They don't know that we know that they know." George looked interested. Harry looked miserable. 

***

"So, which flavour is then, 'Manda?" Katherine asked curiously. All of the Weasley women, that is, the wives of Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron and of course Molly Weasley along with Ginny were seated around the large table in the kitchen of the Burrow. 

Molly Weasley had called all of her daughters-in-law around to celebrate Ron and Amanda's good news; they were having a baby. 

"What do you mean?" asked Amanda, confused by the ripple of laughter this caused from the others, excluding Ginny, who was as much in the dark as she was. 

"Which ice cream flavour are you craving?" asked Meredith, Charlie's Muggle wife. They had met while he had been working in Australia with some migrating Opal Eye's. "Women who are having a Weasley baby always crave ice cream." 

"And the flavour tells you about the baby's personality," added Shannon, Bill's Irish wife. She was a very quiet, dark haired woman who barely spoke up, but when she did she was usually quite witty. "For instance, Benjamin was strawberry and peanut butter swirl and Serena was raspberry crunch." 

"This little one," said Penelope, Percy's wife, "is carrot and orange." She placed a hand on her heavily pregnant stomach. 

"Just like his dad," commented Molly Weasley. 

Amanda smiled. "Vanilla and coconut," she told them. 

"Well, that's easy," said Meredith. "It's a boy." 

"How can you tell?" asked Ginny, taking a swig of her pumpkin juice. 

"It's two flavours," Meredith explained, tapping her fingers on the table in a constant, rhythmic pattern. "Two is a boy, one is a girl." 

"Let's see... oh, he'll be head strong and resilient. Maybe a little-stuck up," said Molly. 

"Thanks for the warning," Amanda told her. 

Ginny laughed. "Ron'll be pleased; that sounds like Percy. What flavour was I, mum?" 

Molly tilted her head to one side as she thought. "Actually, _Ron_ was vanilla and coconut. Well, Bill was strawberry and peanut butter swirl, Charlie was onion and carrot," Ginny and Katherine made gagging noises at this while Meredith made a mental note of this so she could tease her husband. "Percy was mint and banana, the twins were chocolate and pumpkin, Ron was..." 

But Ginny had stopped listening. She almost dropped her glass of pumpkin juice. "Back up a bit. What did you say the twins were?" 

"Chocolate and pumpkin," her mother repeated. 

Ginny's eyes widened. "Chocolate and pumpkin?" Her mother nodded. 

"I wonder when our last seat is going to be filled?" said Shannon, nodding in the direction of the empty chair which sat next to Ginny. "When's George going to get married?" 

"Please, George is probably going to be a bachelor for the rest of his life. He doesn't even have a girlfriend," pointed out Meredith. 

"You know, I might do a Tarot reading for him. See if there's any romance in his future?" suggested Shannon. 

'I think there's plenty of romance in his life right now,' Ginny thought with a sigh. She was really hoping her suspicions about Hermione weren't true. And if they were... well, her and George's relationship wasn't, or rather couldn't, be kept a secret much longer. A smile slowly spread across her face as she began to concoct a plan... 

She was snapped out of her daze when Katherine spoke to her. "What about you, Gin? When are you and Peter going to tie the knot? You've been dating for ages." 

"We haven't really discussed marriage," Ginny admitted. 

"You haven't?" asked Meredith. 

Ginny shook her head. "No. Uh, do you mind if I leave now? I kind of have something to do." 

"Sure, darling," Molly said, smiling. "The Floo powder's..." 

"In the flower pot," finished Ginny. "I know, Mum. I did live here for eighteen years." 

"Of course you did," her mother said. Ginny kissed her on the cheek and strode over to the window sill and took a pinch of Floo powder. "I'll see you soon," she told them all as she threw the powder in the fire which changed colour almost instantly. She stepped in the fire and waved before shouting her address and disappearing in a swirl of flames. 

***

_**A/N:** Okay, so by now you've got a rough idea of what's going to happen. In fact a couple of you guessed when I posted the last chapter. Damn me for being so predictable..._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapters Three:_   
Dark Moon - Thanx!   
Iluvfrodo - Yeah, I did get the from Friends. What can I say; it was one of the best plotlines!   
bodie - Thanx!   
RedBlaze - Thanx!   
Lea - Thanx!   
LeniFreak - Daniel is Hermione's ex-boyfriend. You never actually meet him, though.   
Taboo - Thanx!   
Teigra - No, they won't be able to keep their secret much longer, will they?   
Glimmermaid - Nah, Ginny's just going to have fun torturing them! :)   
Noodlejelly - Thanx!   
Grammar Queen - Thanx!   
Kaitzee - Interesting; that pretty much describes all my fics.   
anastacy - Thank you for telling me about my mistake.   
slinky - Thanx - I even re-watched those episodes of Friends so I could get some ideas! :)   
jessie - Yes, I did. Friends is one of my great sources of inspiration!   
weetziefairie - Wow. A normal review. Shocking!   
Christine El-Tawil - Thanx, I'm glad you're looking forward to the next chapters!   
sugar-n-spice - Thanx! 

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	5. Chapter Five

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.   
**A/N:** I've finally finished Chapter Five! Yay! Okay... on with the story..._

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Five**

*** 

  
  


"You are such a saviour, Hermione," Katherine told her handing baby Alexander to her. He smiled at Hermione and she smoothed his hair. 

"You're actually lucky I have the day off. This merger business is taking it out of me. Sometimes I get so tired I feel like I could sleep for a week." Hermione had agreed to looked after Alexander for the day while Fred was at work and Katherine went to visit her sister who was at St. Mungo's due to being hit with a very nasty curse. She was recovering, though, and could eat solids. 

Alexander twisted his small fingers into Hermione's hair and Hermione tried to pry him loose while Katherine watched. "Are you in love with him?" she asked. 

Hermione almost dropped Alexander. "Excuse me?" 

"I may be short-sighted," said Katherine, tapping the side of her glasses, "but I'm not blind. You'd have to be an idiot not to see there's something going on with you and George." 

"Ron doesn't know." 

"Like I said, you'd have to be an idiot not to see there's something going on with you and George." Katherine smiled. "I have to say this, though, you have very good taste; he's very attractive." 

"You have to say that; you're married to his identical twin." 

Katherine shrugged good-naturedly. "I suppose so. Are you ever going to tell everyone? You do realise how happy you'd make Molly, don't you?" 

"This isn't about Mrs Weasley!" Hermione said sharply. "This is about _us_. We don't have to tell anyone if we don't want to." 

"I don't think I'm the first person to get suspicious," Katherine told her honestly. "I was wondering if it was true, then Fred started talking in his sleep, so that kind of confirmed it for me. Amanda was asking me about you two the other day." 

Hermione bowed her head, little Alexander once again latching his small fingers onto her hair. "What exactly are we supposed to say to people? 'Oh yeah, by the way, we've secretly been seeing each other for the past two months. I don't think that's going to go down well." 

"You can't keep this a secret forever, Hermione." 

"We can try." 

"Suit yourself. I'll be back at three o'clock to pick him up," Katherine said. She kissed the top of her son's head, then Disapparated. 

Hermione looked at the baby in her arms. "You're not going to tell anyone about me and your Uncle George, are you Alexander?" He gurgled, looking up at her. "I didn't think so," Hermione said smiling. There was something about the youngster that made her smile, even though he couldn't talk yet. 

"So what shall we do today, Alexander?" she asked, taking him into the living room where she and Katherine had set up his playpen. "Do you want to go and see your Grandma Weasley?" He gave her a blank look. "What about your Uncle Harry?" All of the Weasley children referred to Hermione as 'Auntie Hermione' and Harry as 'Uncle Harry'. A smile spread across his small face. "I'll take that as a 'yes', then," she said, placing him in the play pen with his toys. 

She grinned at him. "If I ever get the urge to eat your Uncle George's cooking, please remind me not to," she said in the same bright tone she always used when talking to him. "Because right now, Auntie Hermione has to go and throw up." 

***

"What are we doing here, George?" 

George Weasley grinned at Hermione's question. "I just wanted some time alone with you. Is that a crime?" 

"Depends what we're going to do," she replied with a smile as her took her hand in his. Out of the blue, George had come into work on his day off and taken Hermione out to a spot a few miles from their house. There was a small wood with a river running through it and the peace and quiet there was a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley. 

Even though the leafy trees provided a lot of shade, it was still hot, and they had both shed their robes, preferring the less-suffocating confines of Muggle clothing. Dressed in a denim skirt that fell to just below her knees and a pale yellow blouse, her hair loose and just slightly curly, George thought that Hermione was a vision of loveliness, no matter how sappy that sounded. 

"Why are you staring at me?" she demanded, almost angrily. "Have I got something on my face?" 

"Only me," he told her. 

"Huh?" He replied to her question with a soft kiss and she smiled. "What was that for?" 

He shrugged as they continued to walk beside the river. "Just for you being you, I suppose," he said with an air of innocence. 

Her smiled widened. "Well, if I get a kiss for being me, you definitely get one for being you," she told him. She kissed him and when she pulled away, George said; 

"I think I'm going to have to be me more often." 

"That would be nice," agreed Hermione. She sighed. "It's really nice here," she commented. 

George nodded his agreement. "You know," he said slowly. "We could do thing like this more often if we didn't have to be so secretive." 

Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know... I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell people about us." 

"You do realise that half the Weasley's already know and the other half are starting to get suspicious." George looked at her pointedly. 

"I know," Hermione said sullenly. "Can't I keep you to myself a while longer?" she asked, looking at him with large eyes. 

"So we can tell everyone?" George asked hopefully. 

"Are you sure you want to?" Hermione asked, a hint of worry in her voice. 

George looked at her seriously before saying, "I love you more than I ever thought possible. I want to tell everyone how much I love you and to be able to shout it from the rooftops. I want to be able to go out on normal dates with you Hermione instead of those fake dates we had to fool Fred and the others." 

They had gone out on a couple of dates to mess with Ginny and Fred's minds. The first date had involved George using a series of glamours to change his appearance, the second with Hermione using the glamours. 

I want to be able to kiss you like this in the middle of Diagon Alley," he kissed her with an intense passion and then said, "And I don't want to have to hide any more." 

Hermione licked her lips. "If you kiss me like that every single day then you can tell the Minister of Magic for all I care." 

"I can?" George asked in amazement. Hermione nodded. "When?" 

"Well," said Hermione thinking. "Ginny's having that party tonight..." 

"You're a genius!" George exclaimed. Hermione smiled. 

"Do me a favour," she said. 

"Anything." 

"Kiss me before I change my mind," she ordered. 

"Gladly," he told her, before pressing his lips to hers in a long, lingering kiss. 

***

"So what are we celebrating?" asked Ron, accepting a drink for Ginny. She shrugged. 

"Life," she said with a grin. 

Hermione rolled her eyes. "This is just an excuse for you to get drunk, isn't it?" 

"No!" protested Ginny, putting down her wine glass. "Anyway," she added. "I don't need an excuse." For what seemed to be no reason whatsoever, Ginny had invited her younger brothers (i.e. Ron, Fred, and George) as well as their spouses (at least, in Fred and Ron's case) and Hermione, as well as Harry and his long-term girlfriend, to her house (the one she lived in whilst in the UK). 

Her boyfriend, Peter Orion, was there as well. Peter worked at the Daily Prophet as a journalist. He mainly worked on sports stories, though every once in a while he would break a major story which made it onto the front page. 

"What would you do if Mum heard you talking like that, Virginia?" warned Fred, finishing the last of his pint. 

Ginny considered this for a moment. "Run?" she suggested. 

"She'd still find you," pointed out George. 

"I'd just keep running," Ginny said confidently, sitting down next to Peter, who put him arm around her shoulders, almost by instinct. 

"Are you ever going to get married?" Harry asked the couple. 

"You're a fine one to talk!" pointed out Ginny. Harry blushed, and his girlfriend, one Laura MacAllister, giggled at his discomfort. She worked as a radio presenter for WWN (the Wizard Wireless Network) and was well-known for not being shy. 

"Leave him alone!" she protested. Her eyes narrowed mischievously. "So _are_ you ever going to get married?" 

"We haven't really discussed it," clarified Peter. "Hang on a sec," he said holding up a finger. She stood, then positioned himself in front of Ginny. He bent down onto one knee and pulled a small box from his robes. "As cliched as it sounds, Virginia Weasley, will you do the honour of becoming my wife?" 

Ginny's eyes widened in shock on disbelief, and she wasn't the only one who was surprised by this sudden development. The collected group seemed to hold their breath, waiting for Ginny's answer. She nodded, unable to say anything. Peter grinned and slipped the ring onto her finger. He kissed her then took his seat again. 

"I'm glad we got that sorted out," he said, decidedly more relaxed than before. 

Ron cleared his throat. "If anyone else is weirded out, raise your hand." Everyone else raised their hand, including Peter and Ginny. "Just checking," said Ron with a nod. "Would you come with us, Peter?" he asked as he and the twins stood. 

"Uh, sure," said Peter, looking at Ginny. She smiled slightly and nodded. Reluctantly, Peter followed the three Weasley's into the next room. 

"Where've they taken him?" asked Harry uneasily. 

Amanda laughed. "Don't worry about him. I have it on good authority that they've been planning this speech since Ginny turned sixteen." 

"Speech?" asked Hermione. 

"Yeah. It's their 'You break our sister's heart and we will hunt you down before disembowelling you' speech." 

"Ah. So it's similar to their 'Do anything to make our sister cry and we personally hang you from the ceiling by your ankles' speech," said Harry, nodding. 

"Exactly," said Katherine. "They're very protective of Ginny." 

"Don't I know it," said Ginny, glancing towards the door. "They're _too_ protective sometimes." 

"It is sweet, you'll have to agree," said Hermione. 

The four men re-entered the room a few minutes later, Peter looking slightly shaken, but smiling nevertheless. "So what else have you got planned for tonight, Gin? Pregnancy?" asked Fred with a grin. 

Ron obviously didn't see the funny side of this joke. "You shouldn't joke about things like that," he grumbled, sitting next to Amanda, who patted him on the arm. 

"He's only joking, Ron," she said soothingly. She looked up at Ginny. "He is, isn't he?" 

Ginny nodded hastily. Then she suddenly remembered her ulterior motive for bringing them to her house; she wanted to confirm her suspicions about Hermione. She stood up quickly, almost making Peter spill his Butterbeer. "Does anyone want another drink?" she asked. 

Most of them declined the offer, but Katherine requested a glass of wine and Hermione asked for a glass of water. 'Perfect,' thought Ginny, hurrying into the kitchen to prepare the drinks. 

The conversation about Ginny and Peter continued while Ginny was gone, and when she returned, Fred and George were discussing which of them got to be Best Man for the wedding. "Neither of you," Ginny told the both sharply. The twins pretended to look hurt, but Ginny could tell they were pretending - she had known them too long to fall for any of their tricks or acting. 

Hermione gratefully accepted her tall of glass of water, and began to sip it. The water had a strangely metallic taste, Hermione decided, and she looked at the water to see if there was anything in it. She raised an eyebrow. "Ginny?" she asked. "Why is my water blue?" 

Ginny smiled triumphantly. "You're pregnant," she said happily. 

Hermione's face dropped, as did her water. The glass landed on the floor with a thud, but luckily didn't smash. Standing up suddenly, Hermione raced into the kitchen. It was then that Ginny realised what a monumental mistake she had made; Hermione hadn't known. 

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "I think someone should go and talk to her," she said quietly, ashamed of her mistake. 

"I will," volunteered George after a moment, noticing that Fred and Harry were staring at him pointedly. He rose from his seat and walked quickly out into the kitchen where her found Hermione stood by the sink, another glass of water in her shaking hands. 

"Hermione?" he asked quietly, shutting the door behind his so no-one could hear the conversation. "Are you all right?" 

She turned to face him, looking pale and fighting back tears. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. 

"For what?" he asked in confusion, approaching her and taking Hermione into his arms. She rested her head on his chest and took a deep breath. 

"For getting pregnant," she told him tearfully. 

"I'm not upset." 

She looked up. "You're not?" He shook his head. 

"How could I be?" he asked. Slowly, he placed a hand on her stomach. Hermione inhaled sharply. "I love you with all my heart and now this..." He trailed off, looking into her deep brown eyes. "I think my life is complete," he told her in a whisper. Hermione smiled. 

"No matter how many times you tell me you love me, it still feels like the first time," she admitted. "I love you, George." 

"Have we finished with the sappy stuff? Because I want to kiss you now," George announced with a grin. 

"Be my guest," Hermione told him, allowing herself to be swept up in one of his long, passionate kisses. 

In the room where the others were, it was a mixed-bag of emotions. Ginny was being comforted by Peter, who was convinced she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Katherine and Amanda were discussing how all the signs were there and that they should have realised sooner. Fred and Harry were talking in relieved tones about how George and Hermione couldn't keep their relationship a secret anymore, while Harry's girlfriend Laura listened attentively. 

Ron, however, looked simply furious. "Okay, will someone please explain to me what's going on?" he asked angrily. "And who exactly is the father? I know for a fact that pregnancy isn't a one-person job." 

There was an awkward silence. No-one was quite sure how to break it to him. After a moment, Ron got to his feet and marched towards the kitchen, intent on finding some answers. 

He pushed the kitchen door open, and stood there in shock. His eyes widened, seeing Hermione and George in a passionate embrace. He fainted. 

***

_**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this. The next chapter will probably be finished in a week or so. Please review._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapters Four:_   
macabre - Thanx. It's nice for someone to call my story 'cute'! :)   
Dark Moon - Thanx! I'll try and update this story whenever I can.   
sugar-n-spice - But it's fun torturing Harry! :( Oh, well... the secret's out now.   
Taboo - I know, it was kind of obvious in some respects.   
Glimmermaid - Thanx!   
Christine El-Tawil - Thanx!   
anastacy - Thanx!   
JennyBean - It was loads of fun thinking up those combinations. Some of them were pretty disgusting, though, weren't they?   
Fire Goddess - As long as you review once in a while I dont mind! :D   
Snowgrl - Thanx!   
Teigra - That will be revealed in a future chapter...   
Athena McGuire - Thank you. George/Hermione is probably my second favourite ship, and it's good to see my fics getting a good reception.   
weetziefairie - Her reaction will be in a future chapter!   
Kaitzee - Thanx!   
SAngel - I love George/Hermione too.   
Bryn - Yeah, I know, so I'm trying to add a bit more substance to their relationship.   
Weasley-Gurl - I totally agree.   
Stef - Thanx, I'll try and update soon. 

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	6. Chapter Six

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.   
**A/N:** Chapter Six is finally here! I apologise for there being such a long length of time between chapters five and six, but my computer had a couple of viruses, so I haven't been able to do much writing!_

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Six**

*** 

  
  


"Is he going to be all right?" asked Hermione, looking worriedly at Ron. 

Amanda looked up from her husband's unconscious form. "He'll be fine. The same thing happened when I told him I was expecting." 

"Yeah, but this is a double shock," Ginny reminded them. 

Fred frowned. "That was a really horrible thing to do to them, Gin," he told her. 

"Especially as we were going to tell you all about us anyway," added George. He placed an arm around Hermione, who had regained some of her colour, and she leaned against him. 

"Stop making me feel bad!" pouted Ginny. "How was I supposed to know?" 

"She has a point," agreed Hermione. She sighed, and looked slightly happier. "Well, everyone knows about us now," she said, looking up at George. 

George winced. "Not everybody." Hermione looked puzzled, but a second later it sunk in. "Mum and Dad," he confirmed. Neither of them looked too happy at the prospect of telling Mr and Mrs Weasley that they were not only dating, but were expecting a baby. 

Ginny grinned. "Oooh! I have to be there when you tell them! This is going to be _so_ funny!" 

George glared at his little sister, and at this moment Ron decieded to come round. He sat up slowly, and rubbed his eyes. "What happened?" he asked groggily. 

"You fainted," Amanda informed him, handing him a glass of water. 

Ron looked bemused at this, but a second later his eyes flicked to George and Hermione and he looked quite faint. "So you two..." he started. They nodded. "And that means that he's..." Ron looked at George. Hermione nodded. Ron blinked. "My brother and my best friend." 

Hermione and George smiled at each other and Ron groaned. "Since when?" he asked, almost fearfully. 

George answered this, looking slightly uneasy. "Since the wedding." 

"Whose wedding?" Ron demanded, and Amanda put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to try and calm him. 

In a small voice, George answered, "Yours." Ron turned bright red, and he opened and closed his mouth as though he wanted to say something but couldn't quite put it into words. 

"Relax, Ron," Amanda told him gently. 

"Relax?" he exploded, standing up and started to pace the room. "They were doing it at my bloody wedding! How am I supposed to relax?" 

Hermione sighed. "_Subduo_," she murmured, pointing her wand at him. Ron stopped pacing instantly and stood on the spot, a relaxed and peaceful expression on his freckled face. 

"I'd better take him home," Amanda announced, standing up. "He might do something drastic if I don't." She took hold of her husband's arm. "I'll see you all soon." With this goodbye, she Disapparated with Ron in tow. 

"Let's just hope your mother doesn't act like that," Hermione said quietly, to George. Fred, however heard this and snorted. 

"Hardly! She's going to be estactic! She's all ways said you're like one of the family," he told them. This seemed to reassure Hermione slightly, though she still wasn't looking forward to telling Molly and Arthur. 

Harry and Laura, who had been talking quietly while Ron had been having his little rant, stood at this point. "We'd better get going," said Laura, as Harry slipped an arm around her waist. "I'm doing an early morning slot tomorrow and I want to get a good night's sleep!" They had Disapparated with a 'pop' before anyone could say goodbye. 

Ginny pulled a face. "I'm not even going to ask," she muttered under her breath. 

Katherine looked at her watch. "What do you reckon, Fred? Should we relieve Grandma Weasley of her baby sitting duties?" she asked. 

"Fred shrugged. "Why not?" He walked over to George and shook his twin's hand. "Congratulations, George," he said with a grin. Leaning closer, he added, "And good luck with Mum!" Fred hugged Hermione and kissed her cheek before walking over to his wife. "See you later, everyone!" 

When they had Disapparated, Ginny turned to George and Hermione. "Are you angry?" she asked nervously. 

"I'm over anger," said Hermione seriously, but with a wicked smiled she added, "I'm on revenge now." 

"I don't know what scares me more," said Ginny. "The fact that George is going to be a father," George grinned broadly at this, "or the fact that I can't tell whether you're serious or not." Hermione merely smiled. 

***

"So how do you think Mummy and Daddy Weasley are going to react to this news?" Hermione asked. George merely shrugged. The day after Ginny's 'party' had been spent just the two of them reflecting on everything and spending some time together. Now, the day after that, they were preparing to go to the Burrow and explain themselves to Mr and Mrs Weasley. 

"They'll be fine about it. Just be careful Mum doesn't break your ribs when she hugs you." He grinned and Hermione scowled. She had been subject to one of Molly Weasley's bone-crushing hugs before and knew exactly what George meant by this. 

"Good. They can't be any worse than my parents." Rather than go to Hermione's parents, who were currently backpacking across Australia, Hermione had managed to get hold on them on the telephone. Needless to say, the conversation between Hermione and her mother had lasted over an hour. 

"Are we Flooing or Apparating?" asked George as Hermione collected up her coat. 

"Apparating," Hermione confirmed. "Flooing makes me feel even sicker than I do already." 

A couple of moments later, the couple were stood in front of the Weasley family home, the Burrow. Hermione smiled, thinking about how the place hadn't changed since the first time she had been there after her first year at Hogwarts. Her smiled faded as she remembered what they were about to do. George gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and he smiled down at her. He kissed her cheek and together they went in. 

Molly Weasley was busy in the kitchen. Cooking seemed to be her way of dealing without any children to look after, and there was always the smell of something baking lingering in the air. 

"Good morning, Mum," said George brightly. Molly turned, a smear of white flour across her cheek. She wiped it off and took George into a hug. 

"George!" she cried. "How's my favourite son this morning?" 

"Hey!" protested a voice. Until then, neither George nor Hermione had noticed Charlie Weasley who was sat in the corner of the kitchen reading the Daily Prophet." 

"Sorry, Charlie. You know I love you boys all the same. And how are you, Hermione? I wasn't expecting you or George." 

"I'm as well as could be expected," Hermione told her simply. "Actually me and George came to tell you something." 

"Really?" Molly looked slightly surprised, but with George anything was possible. "Sit down first. Would you like a cup of tea?" 

George nodded, but Hermione requested a glass of water. They sat down at the table, opposite Charlie. Charlie looked at Hermione, a curious expression on his face. 

Placing the drinks on the table, Molly took a seat, drying her hands with a tea towel as she did so. "So what did you want to tell me? It is something about 3W?" 

"Not exactly," said George. "It's about Hermione." 

Molly looked worried. "What is it? You're not ill, are you dear?" 

Hermione shook her head. "No, definitely not ill," she said. 

"Then what?" 

"George knocked her up!" cried Charlie suddenly, looking amazed. 

The expression on his face was nothing compared to that of Hermione's or George's. Hermione turned a very pale shade of her normal colour, even looking slightly green. George of the other hand look half decidedly embarrassed and half incredibly frustrated and annoyed with his brother. 

Charlie was astounded. "I was right?" he asked weakly, looking at the two of them. 

"I think we were going the phrase it differently," said Hermione slowly, regaining some of her colour after the initial shock. She was cut off, however, by Molly Weasley who practically smothered her with a hug. When she finally released Hermione, she began bombarding them with questions. 

"How long have you been dating?" 

"Since Ron's wedding," Hermione admitted. 

"How far along are you?" 

"We have no idea," George told his mother, realising that they honestly didn't know how long Hermione had been pregnant for. 

Then, a while later came the question that both of them had been anticipating: "Are you going to get married?" 

Both George and Hermione looked rather uneasy. "Not yet," Hermione said. 

"We're not ready," George continued. 

Molly didn't look too happy about this. "But you're ready to have a baby?" 

"They never actually said that," pointed out Charlie. His mother gave him a dark look but he shrugged it off. "I'm only telling the truth," he said honestly. 

"We weren't exactly planning for this to happen," admitted George, and Hermione nodded her agreement. "We hadn't even officially announced our relationship before we found out." 

Although it was obvious she wasn't completely satisfied with this answer, Molly nodded. She turned to Hermione, a mischievous glint in her eyes, reminiscent of the twins when they were about to do something they weren't supposed to. "Would you like something to eat, Hermione. I've just got some ice cream in." 

Hermione perked up slightly at this. "Yes, please. Um, do you have any chocolate and pumpkin flavour?" she asked. 

Mrs Weasley's eyes widened. "Chocolate and pumpkin?" she repeated. Both George and Charlie gave their mother a funny look, wondering why she was acting so strangely about this request. 

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Is there a problem, Molly?" 

"I think I need to sit down," Molly told her weakly. 

"You are sat down, Mum," Charlie whispered. 

"Oh, good, good," she said weakly, staring at Hermione in awe, while the others all looked at her, completely bemused by her behaviour. 

***

_**A/N:** Okay, I'm not entirely happy about this chapter, but I suppose it's a good start. I've kind of run out of inspiration for this fic, but don't worry - I will keep writing it! :) It just may take a little longer between chapters, that's all..._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Five:_   
EroticAngelz - Don't worry about the shameless plug. Actually, I've been reading your fic already.   
mistress-of-the-ring - Sorry about the amount of time it's taken me but it wasn't my fault, I promise!   
Rayven Blackwood - Thank you. I agree, George/Hermione is one of the best ships!   
janie - Thanx, 'Friends' was my original inspiration for this fic.   
sassinak - I've thought about changing the name. I might do that in a few chapters time.   
sugar-n-spice - Torturing Ron is fun! :p   
tujunga - Yes she is.   
Mabel Weasley - No, they're not going to get married. Not yet, anyway.   
Glimmermaid - Well, I imagine Hermione as a very secretive person.   
Christine El-Tawil - It's become a favourite thing of mine to make Ron faint when he finds out Hermione's pregnant.   
Kitty Felton - oh well, there's always an exception to every rule.   
anastacy - Yup, Ginny's an interferring busybody. Honestly, I can't stand her that's why she's so annoying in this fic.   
Taboo - Thanx!   
Roguey - I aim to please! :)   
Weasley-Gurl - Well, Molly knows now, but not Arthur. I'm not ure what his reaction will be, though.   
Snowgrl - There will be more of Ron's reaction in the next chapter.   
JennyBean - Thank you.   
Ashlyn - You're right about the George/Hermione fics. There are, however, a lot of good ones coming out. Finally people are starting to recognise a good ship!   
Kaitzee - Thanx!   
macabre - Trust me, Hermione's not joking when she's going on about revenge!   
Teigra - Yeah, I suppose it was good, but I still don't like the way that chapter came out. Oh well...   
Athena McGuire - I think I may plan a few flashback. I don't normally like doing that, but I think it needs to be done.   
Bryn - Go substance! :D 

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	7. Chapter Seven

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR.   
**A/N:** Chapter Seven is finally here! You now get Arthurs reaction and a bit more of Ron's reaction._

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Seven**

*** 

  
  


Strolling in from the garden, Arthur Weasley looked around the kitchen of the Burrow in bewilderment. "Molly, dear, what's going on? You look a little... flustered." 

Molly looked up at her husband. She had gone a bit pale, but her cheeks were very red. "George," she managed to say after a moment. "And Hermione..." 

"Are dating?" Mr Weasley finished. "Yes, dear, I know." 

"How did you know?" asked George in amazement. 

"I have six sons, George. I can tell when one of them is in love." 

"Hermione is pregnant," Molly managed to say, sounding helpful. 

"Well, that's nice, dear." 

"You're not shocked?" asked Charlie, sounding disappointed. He had obviously been hoping that Arthur would be angry about the situation, but it seemed that he was coping with it very well. 

Busying himself with the kettle, obviously to make a cup of strong tea for his wife, Arthur answered, "Not at all. It was rather inevitable, wasn't it?" As he poured the hot water into the tea pot, silence fell over the kitchen until a meek voice asked: 

"And which flavour ice cream is she craving?" 

Charlie's wife, Meredith, was stood at the kitchen door, looking slightly tired. Of course, she had been baby-sitting for her sister-in-law Shannon, Bill's wife. Baby-sitting for young Wizards was hard enough, but when you're a Muggle it makes things a little tougher. 

"I think she said it was chocolate and pumpkin, honey," said Charlie. 

Meredith looked thoughtful. "Chocolate and pumpkin. Molly, isn't that the flavour you craved when you were expecting..." Molly nodded, and Meredith's eyes widened. "Oh." 

Molly nodded again, and looked at Hermione who was looking bemused, to say the least. "What exactly are you on about, Molly?" 

Charlie answered this. "I think I know. Well, sort of. Apparently a woman having a Weasley baby always craves ice cream. Oh, and the flavour is different depending on the baby." He looked at his wife for confirmation of this, and she nodded. "But I don't know where the chocolate and pumpkin comes into this." 

"That's the flavour your mother liked when she was expecting Fred and George," Arthur said, placing a hot, sweet cup of tea down in front of his wife. He passed another cup to Hermione who took it gratefully. 

"Oh," said George. Then the full implication of what his father had just said sunk in and his eyes widened in shock, his eyebrows almost disappearing into his hair. Hermione went very quiet and stared deeply into her cup of tea. 

"Um, I think I should get going. I really wanted to go and see Ron before we went home," she gabbled quickly. 

"Oh, he's upstairs," Molly told her, understanding why she wanted to get out of there. 

"I'll go," volunteered George. 

"No, I will. He'll probably be the cause of some serious bodily harm if you go, and I want you in one piece," Hermione told him with a small smile. 

She stood up, and left the kitchen quickly, making her way up the rickety stairs to Ron's old room. 'Ronald's Room' was still proudly displayed on the door, and she knocked twice before going in. Pushing the door open, she was greeted by the vivid orange wallpaper, which was still there from Ron's childhood. 

Ron was sat on his bed, looking rather morose and flicking through what appeared to be a photo album. "Can I come in?" she asked timidly. Ron shrugged indifferently. 

Hermione sat on the end of his bed, sitting in silence for a moment, before saying; "So. What are you doing?" 

Ron said nothing, but passed her the photo album. It was full of Wizard photos of him, Harry and Hermione during their years at school. They were grinning and waving from every page of the book. The page it was currently on was a picture of a large group of Gryffindors, obviously taken by a young Colin Creevey. Hermione was stood between the twins who had their arms around her. They were dressed in their Quidditch robes, meaning that the picture was probably taken after Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup in Harry, Ron and Hermione's third year. 

She smiled at the memory, then looked at Ron, who was staring at her, a curious expression on his face. "Why didn't you tell me about you and George?" he asked. 

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. I... think that it was because me and George had been such close friends, we didn't know how you'd react." 

"What about everyone else? You told them before me," said Ron angrily. 

"Actually they found out by accident. Harry found out when I accidentally kissed him," Ron looked at her, a confused expression on his face, "he looked like George," she explained. "Fred... I can't remember how he found out. And Ginny kind of came around to our house one morning and, uh, heard us." 

It took Ron a couple of seconds to comprehend this, but the moment he did, he turned bright red and pulled a face. "Yuck! I have a nasty mental picture now." Hermione scowled, and Ron laughed at her. "Sorry, but you and George. It's a bit strange, you have to admit." 

Hermione shrugged. "I suppose." 

Ron suddenly looked excited. "Can I be godfather? Please?" 

At this request, Hermione looked rather sheepish. "Um, well, I suppose you can be for one of the babies." 

"Come again?" 

"Well, your parents have come to the conclusion that we're having twins." 

Ron fainted. 

***

"I don't know how you're going to cope," Shannon said, sympathetically. "One baby is hard enough to look after, let alone two!" 

"And remember who their father is," Amanda reminded her. Hermione smiled. 

"It won't be too bad," she said. She looked at Molly, who nodded in agreement. 

"When the twins were babies all they did was sleep and eat," she explained. 

"Not much has changed then," muttered Katherine. 

Once again, all the Weasley women, now including Hermione, had been invited around to the Burrow by an excitable Molly Weasley. The news that she was expecting two grandchildren, well, three actually, and her only daughter was getting married had only been surpassed by the news that Penelope had gone into labour earlier the previous day and given birth to a baby girl, whom they had named Anastasia. 

A midweek visit to St. Mungo's by Hermione and George confirmed that she was nearly (though not quite) two months pregnant, which meant that _it_ must have happened either on the day of Ron's wedding or shortly afterwards. The doctor also confirmed Molly's suspicions that Hermione was having twin, although George and Hermione had decided against using a spell to detect the babies gender. Of course, it was still too early for that spell to be cast, anyway. 

Both Hermione and Amanda were being bombarded with pregnancy and child care tips, much to Hermione's chagrin. She had only just recovered from the initial shock that she was expecting, and it was all becoming a little too much for her to take in. "Oh, I can't believe one of my daughters-in-law is having twins!" Molly exclaimed. 

"She's not your daughter-in-law yet," pointed out Ginny, and Hermione glared at her. 

"Why is everyone so fixated on us getting married?" Hermione groaned. "Amazingly you can have a relationship and not be married. It's not exactly a sin anymore." 

"My parents didn't get married until I was five," said Shannon. "I was a bridesmaid." 

Molly didn't look too happy about this, but if she was going to say something she couldn't as she was cut off by Hermione. "Exactly. Anyway, even if we started planning now it will take a few months for us to get organised and I'll be huge by then! I'm not walking down the isle with my stomach straining against the dress!" 

Ginny smirked at this, and was obviously trying not to laugh at this particular image of Hermione. Hermione elbowed her in the ribs and said, "Don't laugh, Miss Weasley, you'll probably be next." 

The redhead scowled, sending a ripple of laughter around the table. "At least I won't be pregnant when I'm going down the isle." 

Hermione shrugged. "If and when George and myself do get married I shan't either. Can we now turn the attention to Amanda?" she asked. "After all, she was pregnant before me." 

Amanda, who had been sat quite quietly until then pulled a face. "Thanks, Hermione. You know how much I like all the attention on me." Amanda was notorious for sinking into the background when she wasn't involved in the conversation. Not that she minded; she was a wallflower by nature rather then choice. 

"So has Ron started picking names yet?" teased Katherine. Amanda nodded miserably. 

"He's convinced that it's middle name, regardless of gender, is going to be Chudley," she explained. 

"Are you going to let him down gently?" asked Ginny. 

Amanda snorted. "Hardly. If he dares suggest it again I know some pretty good curses." 

***

_**A/N:** I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but I'm trying, honestly! If anyone wishes me to email them when I post a new chapter, please let me know in a review._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Five:_   
Moon Assassin 13 - I have thought about writing a book, but I don't think I have the patience for it! Or the originiality, come to think of it.   
lilhpwitch - Thanx!   
Tracy - I'm trying to write as quickly as possible.   
Dark Moon - They will get married eventually, but I'm not sure when.   
Moniluv325 - Keep reading, I'm sure some interesting stuff will be happening in this story... :)   
Bella Ireland - The best George/Hermione fic ever? You flatter me. Seriously, there are some other very good ones out there (one of my favourites is Dungbombs and SPEW).   
sugar-n-spice - Nope, no-one is safe from my torture, MWHAHAHA! Erm, okay I got a little bit carried away there...   
OliverPhelpsIsHOTT - Cool, I got the DVD when it came out. BTW, I love your name!   
Arime Setta - Well, they will get married eventually, just not yet.   
The Scarlet Trombone - Thank you. I'm trying to get this written as soon as I can. Yet again, another reviewer with a cool name!   
macabre - Yes, that will cause some complications.   
VenusDeMilo - Well, I don't exactly have a mailing list for this fic, but I think I'm going to set one up for it.   
Bryn - It doesn't matter if you dislike children. Knowing my writing style the fic'll probably end when the baby's born!   
Moony's Nymph - Yup, definitely parts from Friends. It's such a great show that I had to use bits from it.   
DevilFireEyes - Thanx!   
Emperor's Sister - Yes, she is.   
EroticAngelz - Don't worry I've seen someone else use my little phrase before. It doesn't bother me. As for the "George knocked her up," I am actually English, so it kind of makes it a lot easier to have British sayings. :)   
Glimmermaid - Yes, I'm sure that Charlie will be included in George and Hermione's revenge plans for Ginny.   
RowanRhys - Making up the flavours of ice cream was fun!   
Athena McGuire - Thanx!   
Teigra - Thank you. Surprise reactions are becoming a bit of a specialty of mine.   
JennyBean - Charlie will probably be making a few more appearances (maybe in leather if I'm in the mood!). 

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	8. Chapter Eight

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, nothing I tell you! All the characters, places etc. belong to JKR._

*** 

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Eight**

*** 

  
  


November - a month that normally brings the transition of autumn into winter. Normally. This month, however, there was an unexpected heat wave, making Hermione feel even more uncomfortable than she already did. 

No matter how sympathetic George tried to be, Hermione would still snap at him for almost any reason. The reason she used most tended to be her clothes. 

It seemed as though she had grown almost overnight, and was still growing. At only four months into her pregnancy, she still had a lot more growing to do. 

"Can I kill you yet, George?" she asked, managing to sit in one of the seats at 3W. The twins kept insisting that she should start cutting down on work, but Hermione was insisting that she kept working. After all, she was pregnant, not an invalid. 

"What did I do this time?" 

George was busy arranging a display in window, and not really listening to her. Anyway, she was usually complaining about the same thing. 

"I feel awful!" she moaned. "And it's all your fault." 

"I think you had something to do with it as well," George pointed out, adjusting the position of a poster. He knew Hermione was scowling at him, so he suggested that she go home. When she point blank refused, he suggested that she go down to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. That was something that she did eagerly, promising to be back soon. 

Fred emerged from the workshop laughing. From the way he looked at George, he could tell it was about him and Hermione. "What?" he demanded. 

"You two! You act like more of a married couple than me and Kath ever do!" 

"We're not married." George was firm in his tone. 

"Not yet." 

"Oh, don't you start as well! I have enough of that from mum - I can't bear to have you going on at me as well." 

"She's having your children and you're not even considering marrying her?" Fred looked a little amazed. 

"Not yet. And will you quit annoying me - I'm trying to get some work done!" 

"There has never been a Weasley baby born out of wedlock." 

"Whoever said they're going to be Weasley's?" 

Fred looked almost ready to explode. "What? Mum'll go ballistic! Dad won't be much better!" 

George sighed. He and Hermione had already discussed this, but were yet to come to a decision. Pulling his wand out of his pocket, he pointed it calmly at his brother and cast a silencing spell. Seeing Fred's enraged look, and how he was advancing threateningly on him, George quickly cast the full body-bind curse. Fred wobbled precariously for a moment, before toppling over. 

With a grin, George turned back to his display. 

Now he'd finally be able to get on with his display without someone bothering him. As much as having a twin was a good thing, it could also be a pain at other times. 

Just as he was finishing his display, he was distracted by a small shriek from the doorway. Looking up he saw it was Katherine. "What's the matter?" he asked. Baby Alexander, who was in his mothers arms, gurgled in amusement. 

"What did you do to him?" she demanded, pointing, with her free hand, to Fred who was lying on the floor, the curse still on him. 

George flushed. "Um, it's just the body-bind." In truth, he had forgotten about him, but he wasn't about to admit that. 

"George!" Katherine looked outraged. She handed him Alexander before fishing her wand out of the pocket of her robes. She quickly reversed the body-bind. Fred got to his feet looking very disgruntled. He started yelling at his brother, but while his lips moved, there was no sound. 

Katherine shot George a withering look and reversed the silencing charm. 

Fred glared at his brother. He seemed to be at a loss for words. He muttered something unrepeatable under his breath and balled up his fists. 

"Oh, grow up, Fred!" exclaimed Katherine. "It was just a joke." She turned to George. "Wasn't it?" 

There was something about her tone of voice that made George feel as though he were a small child. He nodded meekly, not daring to disagree with his commanding sister-in-law. "Good." 

Looking satisfied, Katherine took Alexander out of George's arms (much to George's relief as he had started to pull his uncle's hair). "Where's Hermione?" she asked. 

"Ice cream," replied George, and Katherine nodded in understanding. 

"How is she? Any morning sickness?" 

George shrugged. "As well as can be expected, I guess. It's not really morning sickness. More like, middle of the night sickness." 

Katherine looked sympathetic. "What about Ron and Amanda? I haven't seen them for a while." 

He would have answered her telling her that he hadn't seen them for a while, but he was interrupted by a group of young customers who came into the shop. 

Fred ushered his wife and child into the back of the shop, leaving George to deal with the customers. 

***

The Three Broomsticks was bustling with young customers: it just so happened to be a Hogsmeade weekend when Ron, Harry and Hermione decided to visit the Wizarding village. 

With their busy life's, the three friend rarely got to spend as much time together as the used to. These occasional get-togethers (just the three of them with no-one else) were very much valued by all three of them. They also them a chance to get away from work. 

"I can't believe we were ever that young," commented Ron, nodding in the direction of a group of third year students. 

"Don't say that!" protested Hermione. "You make me feel old." 

"He has a point, though," said Harry. "It seems like so long ago. It's almost unreal." 

"Yeah, and now I'm married, Hermione's pregnant and you're..." Ron trailed off, looking questioningly at Harry. "What exactly are you and Laura?" 

Harry shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid Ron's prying gaze. Hermione smirked at him. She too had been wondering this. 

"Are you going to get married?" she asked. Harry flushed right up to the roots of his dark hair. 

"If she says 'yes'," he admitted in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper. 

Ron looked decidedly impressed. "So you're finally going to ask her?" Harry nodded. 

He muttered something that sounded like, "Her birthday next week." 

The redhead grinned. "Good on you. I'll go get us some drinks to celebrate." When Ron came back a couple of minutes later carrying a tray of drinks, he looked a bit embarrassed. "I think Rosmerta was trying to flirt with me." Harry and Hermione couldn't help but snigger at this and Ron looked a bit put out. He set the drinks down. Hermione took one look at hers before dashing away in the direction of the ladies toilets. 

Ron grimaced. "Is she going to be all right, do you think?" 

Harry shrugged. "Not a clue. I've no experience in that sort of thing. Unlike you. I can't believe you're going to be a father." 

"What's wrong with me being a father?" asked Ron. 

"Well, it's just strange, that's all," said Harry, trying not to get Ron angry. That was the last thing he needed. He took a swig of his Butterbeer. "So have you started thinking of names?" 

Ron grinned wickedly. "I keep winding Amanda up by telling her the middle name is going to be Chudley. She gets really wound up about it and keeps threatening me!" 

"Is it really such a good idea to wind her up?" asked Harry. 

After thinking about it for a second, Ron shrugged. "I dunno. It's still bloody hilarious, though." 

Harry didn't look too impressed though, and so turned the subject to Hermione, who still hadn't returned from the toilets. "On a scale of one to ten, how surprised were you about her and George getting together?" Ron considered this for a second before saying: 

"Eleven." 

"Really? For me it was more like twenty." 

"She kissed you, didn't she?" asked Ron. Harry blushed once again and nodded. 

"I was helping George test the Duplicate Quill. She thought I was him." 

Ron nodded in understanding. Suddenly he gave Harry a puzzled expression. "How come you didn't tell anyone else? I mean, Hermione making you promise doesn't really sound like you." 

"Blackmail." Hermione took her seat at the table, and pushed away the drink of pumpkin juice that Ron had bought for her. She grinned mischievously. Turning to Ron, she said, "Do you remember that picture of you and Harry at your twenty-first birthday party?" 

The redhead paled beneath his freckles. "Would you really have done it?" he managed to ask her. 

Hermione nodded. "Why not?" 

"Harry you're an idiot." Ron's comment shocked Harry. 

"What? I'm not!" 

"Harry, you have been an honourary Weasley for quite a large part of your life. Haven't you learnt anything?" Ron looked half-angry, half-amused. 

"Erm... don't accept any food from the twins." 

Ron rolled his eyes. "Apart from that. Remember that picture we have from my birthday? The one of Hermione and _Ginny_?" 

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Ron Weasley, you wouldn't." 

Imitating Hermione, Ron nodded, replying, "Why not?" 

"Truce?" asked Hermione meekly, blatantly ignoring Harry's smirk. 

Grinning broadly, Ron stuck out his hand. Hermione shook it, feeling slightly defeated. 

***

"What are you doing, Little Bee?" 

Hermione looked up from the 3W paper work that she was doing to see George stood in the doorway, s bunch of tulips in his hands. 

"Aren't they a bit out of season?" she asked gesturing towards the flowers. 

"Ah, well, that's the beauty of magic." George grinned, setting them down on the table beside her. "However, magic is nowhere as beautiful as you are." He ran a hand nervously through his red hair. 

"You want something, don't you?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. 

"No!" he protested. "I just saw these flowers and I thought of you. But, if you're offering, a kiss will do nicely." 

"I think I can manage that," Hermione told him, as he caught her lips in a soft kiss. "I might even be able to stretch to two." She kissed him gently and smiled. "What it is?" she asked, seeing the amused expression on his face. 

"You have ink on your face," he told her, wiping off the offending substance with his thumb. 

"Thanks," she told him. 

"Are you hungry?" he asked, straightening up. "Because I have a hankering for Chinese food." 

Hermione pulled a face. "Urgh. Not tonight, George. They're giving my heart burn." She placed a hand on her bump and smiled apologetically. "You're welcome to get some for yourself, though." 

George shook his head. "I won't bother," he said. "There's no point." He smoothed down her hair and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked. 

"I'll just have a water," she said. She followed him into the kitchen and frowned. "I swear I only tidied this place up yesterday." 

"I'll sort it out," George promised her. He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her. She took it thankfully and sipped it gently. He disappeared into the larder and emerged with what appeared to be the ingredients for a very large, and unusual, sandwich. George was just about to cut the bread when his MagiPager went off loudly, making him jump. 

Hermione chuckled at his surprise and he scowled, glancing at the annoying item. "It's Fred," he informed her. "Something about the merger." He paused, reading the rest of the message. He grinned broadly at Hermione. "It's gone through!" 

"It has?" Hermione couldn't believe it. The merger with the 'Laugh a Minute' joke company had been in the works for months, and it had often seemed as though it would never happen. But it finally had. George nodded, talking Hermione into a giant bear hug. It was obvious just by the look on his face that he was ecstatic about this development. 

There was a small 'pop' in the hallway and Fred appeared in the kitchen a moment later. "Did you get my message?" he asked. He looked just as excited as George. 

"Of course we did," Hermione told him. 

"Good. I think it's time to celebrate." Fred held up a bottle of champagne just as Katherine and baby Alexander came into the room. 

***

**_A/N:_** Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I've had a bit of writers block, and I have no idea when the next chapter will be out. Hopefully inspiration will strike me at some point. Then again, it probably won't! If you have any ideas, feel free to email me at gnashgnash2001@hotmail.com or my AIM name is Capricornearth.   
I've just logged into my ff.net account - I can't believe I'm on the favourites list of 51 members! Yikes! 

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Seven:_   
jd - Thanx! I'm trying to write as quickly as possible!   
Kellie - Thanx, it was fun making up all those ice cream flavours.   
Heather - Iwould never let my fics be lost in the depths of ff.net... that's a very scary place....   
VegaTenshi - Yikes! I get the point! I'll try and continue further ASAP.   
Faith McKay - Thank you so much - it's really nice that you think this fic is so good!   
Maddy - Thanx!   
mystical - Thanx!   
Kaitzee - I know, I know. I'm trying to get inside their heads, honest!   
Floored 4 George - Thanx. If you thought that Herm and George should have hooked up slower, you could try reading one of my other Ge/Hr fics. It's called 'The Return' (yes, it's a rubbish title, I know). Just go to my profile and you'll find the link there. I think with Ron it's a mixture of all three, even though he is married.   
Teigra - I picture Arthur a little like Dumbledore - quite intelligent, but just a little eccentric.   
Glimmermaid - Thanx! Yes, chaos does sound about right.   
EroticAngelz - I haven't quite decided on what the babies are going to be yet. I've done twins girls in another Ge/Hr fic of mine, so I'm not sure if I should do that again.   
sassinak - Because of you, I am now accepting anonymous reviews. I had no idea I wasn't.   
Orange - Thank you. I have to admit, I don't know how I came up with that nickname, though.   
heath - Thanx!   
Moniluv325 - Sorry this chapter took so long.   
Lux80 - Twin/Hermione is a bit of an aquired taste, but I'm glad you liked it.   
sugar-n-spice - I'm not sure how I could write Malfoy into the story. He doesn't fit in anywhere. One day I _will_ write a fic where Ginny and Draco get together, I promise!   
Athena McGuire - Yup, they certainly will have a lot on their hands. Can youimagine - Weasley twins with Hermione's intelligence?   
OliverPhelpsIsHOTT - Hmm... I had a feeling you were an Oliver Phelps fan.   
Kazza - I'm glad you found my Arthur 'in character'; I was worried that it wasn' the sort of thing he'd say.   
Moony's Nymph - Thanx!   
Ashiri - I'm sorry you've had to wait so long!   
Bryn - I know, that's why I'm probably going to finish the fic when the babies are born. I might do some 'spin-off' fics, though. I can imagine the twins being real handfuls.   
The Scarlet Trombone - Well, you'll find out whether the babies are boys or girls when they're born. I'm not saying anything till then! 

_Review, Flame, Whatever. _

silverphoenix 


	9. Chapter Nine

***

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Nine**

***

It seemed that his streak of teenage rebellion had never left George. When he was younger, he had never listened to what his parents had said (well, if it involved praise that was a different matter), and had often done the exact opposite of what his parents (especially his mother) had told him to do. 

That was probably why it was so hard for him to come to a final decision. 

Pretty much since he and Hermione had started their relationship, he had always considered the possibility of marriage, and that gut feeling had grown stronger and stronger as time had passed and they had grown more secure in their relationship. 

Then everything had changed. Their relationship had come out into the open and since then he had been constantly pestered by members of his family to marry Hermione. 

But, being George, he never did what people wanted, even if it was what he wanted, too. 

George splashed cold water on his face, then stared at himself in the mirror for a moment before grabbing a towel. He took a deep breath as he studied his reflection one more time (he always seemed to become more vain when he was nervous). 

Intent on making an impression (even though it was Hermione), he had dressed up slightly, wearing a smart shirt, though no tie, and a pair of designer trousers he had received for his last birthday. The brother he had received them from (he forgot which) assured him they were very expensive. 

He was meeting Hermione in Diagon Alley. She was working today at 3W, and when George had talked to her through the fire she had welcomed the idea of a lunch break with him. 

She was just finishing up when George arrived. Hermione looked at him curiously. "Are you all right? You don't look well." 

Hermione had a point. He looked positively pale beneath his many freckles. 

"I'm fine. A little tired, that's all," he lied. In truth he felt awful, but, he reasoned, it was just nerves. 

Much to George's protests, he found himself sat at a table in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlour. Of course, Hermione ordered chocolate and pumpkin flavour ice cream. It seemed that the babies were still as partial to that flavour as ever. 

Hermione was talking energetically about a new product Fred had created by accident and how she thought it was going to be a huge hit with their customers and that she thought the George and Fred really should open up a shop in Hogsmeade as the Hogwarts students could really do with some competition for Zonko's. 

George found himself only half listening to her, gazing lovingly at Hermione and thinking about how much everything had changed since July and Ron's wedding. 

His lack of attention didn't go unnoticed by Hermione. She pursed her lips. "George, what did I just say?" He snapped out of his thoughts to see Hermione looking at him, half-glaring and half-amused. "Um... Fred's got a betting pool on about the twins genders?" 

"He does?" asked Hermione. "Huh. That's news to me." She looked curious. "What are you thinking about. George looked into his now-empty ice cream bowl. He had had mint chocolate chip, and there were still a few traces of the green ice cream in the bowl. "Nothing much." 

Hermione raised an eyebrow, but decided not to say anything else. 

"Oh my God! Hermione you look great!" 

George smirked seeing Hermione wince. He had almost forgotten that Ginny was currently back from the states. The youngest Weasley appeared by Hermione's side. She grinned at her brother, then smothered Hermione in a sort of half-hug. Hermione didn't look to happy. 

Ginny didn't make things easy for Hermione. While it wasn't exactly easy to forget she was pregnant, Ginny managed to bring up this fact at every opportunity, annoying Hermione greatly. 

"Y'know, I really should pop into 3W and see that new invention Fred's done," said George. 

Hermione scowled. He heard her mutter something that sounded like 'lucky sod', and he grinned, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek. 

Before he pulled back, he whispered two words that Ginny couldn't hear, but Hermione heard as clear as day: "Marry me." 

George straightened himself up and grinned at Hermione. "See you later," he told Ginny before Disapparating, leaving a very flustered Hermione behind. 

Ginny eyed Hermione almost suspiciously. "Hermione, is there something wrong?" she asked. Hermione shook her head. 

"No, I'm fine." She paused slightly. "Ginny, I was just wondering. How did you feel when Peter proposed?" 

The youngest Weasley grinned at her. "I was really embarrassed," she admitted. "Well, it was in front of all my friends and my brothers." Hermione had to agree with her there. Peter had asked her to marry him at the same party where her and George's relationship had been made public. 

"It was also probably one of the best feelings in my life," Ginny continued. "I felt incredible. I was also a bit relieved - I was starting to wonder if he'd ever ask me." 

"But how did you know whether to say yes?" 

Ginny didn't even have to think about this. "I just knew. It was like instinct." She looked at Hermione suspiciously. "Has George proposed?" she asked, her eyes narrowed with curiosity. 

"No!" Hermione lied quickly, and, strangely enough, Ginny appeared to believe her. Hermione gave an inward sigh of relief. 'I never knew she was so gullible.' Hermione finished off her ice cream, and listened half-heartedly to Ginny who was talking excitedly about the wedding preparations. 

Know Hermione understood why George hadn't been paying much attention to her before. He had clearly had his mind in other places. She had some serious thinking to do. 

***

The house was strangely quiet when Hermione arrived home from her shift at 3W. It was now December, a busy time at 3W because of the Christmas rush. It was amazing how popular their special mistletoe was - the plant was specially enchanted so that if two people stood under it they had to kiss, or their feet would stay stuck to the ground. 

George had offered to put some up around the house, but Hermione had point blank refused. 

After ten minutes of not being able to find George anywhere, Hermione had just given up looking for him and was putting the kettle on for a cup of tea when she heard a noise outside. A noise that sounded suspiciously like a car. 

But that was ridiculous. George didn't own a car. 

Curious to see who it was, she went outside where she found George sat behind the wheel of a very impressive-looking car. 

"Where did you get that?" she asked. 

George grinned at her. "I bought it." Hermione's eyes widened. 

"You bought it? But it must have cost a fortune!" He shrugged nochantly. 

"The merger left me and Fred with quite a bit of extra spending money. I thought I'd treat her." He opened the passenger door and motioned for Hermione to join him. Feeling slightly dazed that he had bought a car without even mentioning it to her (not that she was mad), she sat in the passenger seat. 

"Why a car?" Hermione asked. 

"Why not?" was his reply. 

"Good point." She stared in wonder at the car. It was brand new - definitely not second hand. After a moment, she realised that George was staring expectantly at her. 

"So?" he questioned. 

"It's really nice," Hermione told him enthusiastically. 

He looked slightly disappointed. Hermione was confused before he said, "I was actually referring to this morning and what I asked you." 

Hermione bowed her head. "Ah." She chewed on her lip. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her job all day because of those two words he had muttered in her ear that morning at the ice cream parlour. Marry me. Those words were going to be permanently etched on her brain. 

She had completely ruined a display a indoor fireworks because she was so busy contemplating her choices, and Fred had almost sent her home three times (he, of course, thought it was her hormones playing up as she had not mentioned it to anyone). 

Slowly, the brunette witch looked up, turning her head towards George. "Yes." He grinned. 

***

**_A/N:_** Well, there's another chapter. I'm so sorry it's so short, but I actually found my planning sheet for this fic and this is exactly what I had planned for this chapter. I have no idea when the next chapter will be ready, so I'm not promising anything. 

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Eight:_   
Yukito Forever - You're right; this pairing is really fun to write.   
Mushroom - Woo! I might be converting someone! I never used to be a big Ge/Hr fan, then I wrote one fic, then another, and now I'm on my third! They're addictive!   
Snufalufagus - Thanx!   
StarryJen - Thanx, but I don't think it's one of the best ever. *blush*   
JennyBean - I'll have Charlie in the story more. He should be in the next chapter if you're lucky (and when I get around to writing it!)   
kitty2000 - Thanx!   
tujunga - I hated the title when I thought of it, and was going to change it. 'm really glad I didn't now, as it attracts so much attention! I can't hel pbut agree with that quote.   
mystical - Laura/Hary? Hmm... they _do_ need a bit more coverage, don't they? They'll make a feature at some point.   
Chavi - Thanx - I'm very proud of this Ron. Most of the time I can't write he character for the life of me, but in this fic he just seems to come naturally.   
Shaelune - Nice to see you've got your own account! Sorry it's taken so long between chapters. Your mind probably isn't as sick as you think - you can probably guess what that photo of Ginny and Hermione is like if I tell you it's a lot like the one of Harry and Ron. They were _very_ drunk. I have now decided on the gender of the babies, and I even thought of the names as well. You'll have to wait a few more chapters to find out, though.   
Moniluv325 - Thanx!   
VegaTenshi - I get your point!   
Teigra - I hope this chapter answers your questions!   
Glimmermaid - Whoa! You must be psychic! ;)   
heath - I think you're reading too much into it! :) I would never break them up or push them apart (and if I did there would be a lot of fluff when they got back together!).   
jd - Thanx!   
Athena McGuire - I hope your just as happy when you see this chapter!   
Maddy - Hope you like this chapter!   
sugar-n-spice - I hope you didn't hurt yourself with your crazy dancing!   
VenusDeMilo - Your wish worked - the muses came to me and I created a chapter-by-chapter plan of both this story and my current H/Hr fic.   
Heather - Yup, menacingly is a word. I know the last chapter wasn't too goo (and this one isn't either), but there's going to be more action in the next few chapters!   
Gem Stone - The answers to your questions will gradually become clearer over the next few chapters.   
Camisole - Thanx. There are a lot more Ge/Hr fics out there than there used to be, so I'm glad you think it's one of the best.   
Faith McKay - I hope you like this chapter! 


	10. Chapter Ten

***

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Ten**

***

"Ginny, you're running around like a headless chicken!" At Hermione's words, Ginny stopped pacing. 

"I can't help it!" she protested. "The wedding is set for the beginning of March and it's nearly the middle of January! We're never going to be ready in time." 

"Yes, you will." 

"No, I won't." 

Hermione rolled her eyes. Ginny was certainly over exaggerating. They had already sent out invitations, sorted out a venue for the wedding reception, booked the church, picked dresses for Ginny and her bridesmaids as well as suits and dress robes for Peter and his ushers as well as numerous other things Hermione didn't even want to think about. When _she_ got married, she was going to keep it simple. 

Of course, that was what Ginny had said. 

No-one yet knew about Hermione and George's engagement. They had decided to keep it to themselves for a while. Luckily this was significantly easier than keeping their relationship a secret had been. 

"What's the problem now?" Hermione asked. 

"The flowers." 

Ginny began pacing the living room of Hermione and George's house again. "Peter doesn't know what colours he wants." 

Hermione thought about this for a moment. "Ginny," she said slowly, "isn't Peter colour blind?" 

The redhead nodded. Then it dawned on her. "Oh." She blushed. "I should have remembered that, huh?" Hermione nodded, and Ginny collapsed onto the sofa beside Hermione. "Am I annoying?" she asked earnestly. 

"Are we talking about now or all the time?" asked Hermione with a grin. Ginny frowned at her and Hermione laughed. "You're not _annoying_," Hermione explained. "just, um, enthusiastic, I suppose." 

"That's code for annoying, isn't it?" asked Ginny. 

"No!" For a moment Hermione was quiet. "Do you want something to drink." 

"It's ten o'clock in the morning, Herm." 

Hermione was wondering if she _should_ have said that Ginny was annoying. She certainly was today. "I mean tea or coffee." 

"Oh." Ginny blushed at her mistake. "Um, neither; I'm not thirsty." 

Not quite sure what to turn the conversation to (and not wanting to discuss weddings again in case her and George came up for she was sure she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long), Hermione said, "Do you want to see the nursery?" 

Ginny was up the stairs before Hermione could even stand up. When Hermione finally made it up the stairs, Ginny was stood impatiently outside the room George and Hermione had set aside as the nursery. Hermione had locked it so that no unwelcome visitors (e.g. any of George's siblings or his mother) saw it before it was finished. 

They had finally completed it a couple of nights before. When she unlocked the door, Ginny gasped. 

Since they did not know the ender of the twins, the walls had been painted a rich cream colour with the furnishings in deep red and gold. There were two cots, and an assortment of soft toys were on a shelf above the bookcase which was already full of children's books, both Muggle and Wizard. 

"For your little Gryffindors, I suppose," remarked Ginny, gesturing towards the red and gold curtains. 

"Of course," Hermione told her with a grin as the youngest Weasley picked up a book that was lying on top of the bookcase rather than in it. She held it up reading the cover: _A Thousand & One Perfect Baby Names_. 

"Having trouble on deciding a name?" she asked. 

Hermione shook her head. "We've got plenty of names we like, it's just that since we don't know if they're boys or girls we haven't decided yet." 

Ginny began to flick through the book. "How about Eugene?" she suggested. 

"Are you serious?" 

The red head grinned, shaking her head, and Hermione gave a sigh of relief. 

"Good." 

***

The only children present were Alexander (who was now walking rather unsteadily) and Anastasia, Percy and Penelope's daughter. After Alexander had successfully managed to topple a vase of flowers in the kitchen, he had been handed over to Arthur Weasley who was busy tending to the garden. 

All of the 'Weasley Wives' were congregated in the kitchen of the Burrow, for reasons as yet undisclosed to them all. Molly had simply owled them and asked them to come. When someone like Molly Weasley orders you to come, you come, regardless of any other plans. 

"Do we really have to be here?" asked Amanda. "I've got a really bad back." At this she received sympathetic looks from at least half the women around the table, all of whom had suffered in the same way during the later stages of pregnancy. 

Amanda and Ron's first child (Ron was still antagonising her by suggesting Chudley as a name), was due a couple of weeks before Hermione and George's. 

"Yes, we do." Molly was adamant about that. "Now as I'm sure none of you are aware, it is Arthur's sixtieth birthday in July." 

"It's only January, Mum," pointed out Ginny. "And why are you telling us?" 

"Because I want to have a party for him." She looked around the table, an apologetic smile on her face. "I'm sorry ladies, but if I asked my sons, your husbands..." Hermione cleared her throat at this, and she heard Meredith giggle slightly. Molly just frowned. "Or partners," she continued, "nothing would ever get done." 

For over an hour they discussed plans for the party, even though it was several months away. Then again, if they were to do a party such as the one Molly was suggesting, it was going to take all that time to organise it. 

When Molly finally allowed them to leave, Katherine was the first to stand up. "Does anyone else want to go to Diagon Alley? I could do with some ice cream right about now." 

A hush fell over the women. Even baby Anastasia, who had been gurgling, was quiet. 

Katherine's face fell. "Oops." 

Hermione watched with amusement as Katherine was nearly knocked off her feet by the force of Molly's hug. "Why didn't you tell us?" Molly demanded. 

"Because I promised Fred I wouldn't!" Katherine protested. "Blame him, not me!" 

The look in Molly's eyes told them all that Molly planned on doing just that. 

"I'll come with you," said Amanda quickly, trying to save Katherine. It worked. 

"So will I," volunteered Hermione. Katherine managed to get Alexander from Arthur before Molly started knitting baby booties. 

The January sales meant that Diagon Alley was teeming with Wizards and Witches of all ages, just as it had been before Christmas. 

Because of the exceptionally cold weather, Florean Fortescue's was nearly empty. Hermione figured that it must be his slow time of year. Nevertheless, the three of them (and Alexander) weren't deterred and ordered their favourite flavours. 

"Peppermint?" asked Hermione eyeing the contents of Katherine's bowl. "A girl?" 

Katherine nodded. "I hope so. It'll be nice to have one of each." 

Amanda snorted. "Ha! One of each? I believe three is a minimum requirement for the Weasleys." 

"Hermione's almost there then," commented Katherine, gesturing with her spoon at Hermione's bump. 

"Hey! I _want_ a big family," Hermione protested. 

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Hermione nodded. She hadn't even told George this, but it was true; she _did_ want a large family. 

"How big is big?" Katherine asked. "I mean, Molly had seven children. Do you really want that many?" 

Hermione shrugged. "I dunno. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see." Katherine let out a low whistle of admiration at this. 

"Good luck to you," she said, giving Hermione a mock salute. 

"How would you cope?" asked Amanda nervously, tucking a stray piece of hair from her ponytail behind her ear. "I'm worried about having _one_." 

"You are?" Hermione was surprised. She had thought Amanda was well prepared. Amanda nodded. 

"Of course! I'm an only child," she explained. "I've never even babysat." She looked almost tearful. "I don't think I'm going to be a very good mother." 

"Of course you will," Katherine sat shortly. "You're great with Alexander." 

"Yes, but he's not _mine_. I can give him back at the end of the day!" Amanda bit her lip. "I'm not exactly looking forward to the birth, either." 

"Who does?" countered Katherine. "You should really speak to Molly if you're worried - she has a lot more experience than me." Amanda smiled nervously at this. 

"I suppose." She didn't sound too confident, but that was only to be expected in Hermione's opinion. Ron had once revealed to her that Katherine found her mother-in-law intimidating. Most people would, Hermione decided. Raising seven children and being married to someone as unusual as Arthur Weasley had turned Molly Weasley into a force to be reckoned with. 

After scooping up another spoonful of her peppermint ice cream, Katherine added, "And you've got all of us to help you as well." By 'us' Hermione decided that Katherine was referring to the rest of the 'Weasley Wives'. 

"At least you don't have to worry about possibly going into labour at Ginny's wedding," Hermione reminded her. Because of medical problems, Amanda had been advised to have a caesarean section by the doctors and a date had already been set. 

"Do you really think that'll happen to you?" Amanda asked with a raised eyebrow. Hermione shrugged. 

"I dunno." Taking the last bite of her ice cream, she added, "I really hope not!" 

***

_**A/N:** Chapter Ten's done! I hope you liked it. I was very happy while finishing off this chapter - I spotted a quote from this fic at FictionAlley on the Point Me! page. Yay! Right... only a few more chapters to go!_

_Review, Flame, Whatever._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Nine:_   
Alizee - They are a really good couple, aren't they? :)   
reena - Don't worry, I'm writing as much as I can!   
The Scarlet Trombone - Thanx! Yup, they're getting married and those babies will come eventually.   
lady-hextra - I'm keeping the chapters coming as fast as I can.   
Chavi - Yeah, I liked the way George proposed as well. In my other Ge/Hr fic he proposed by accident!   
VegaTenshi - Hopefully the next chapter should be out in a few days. I'm also working on another fic, and I try and divide my time between the two of them.   
Zurizip - Thanx!   
jade - The HAPPY HP WORLD. I should copyright that, I think. I love writing this fic - bad guys and evil plots can just get in the way somtimes.   
Kirjava - Thanx!   
mystical - Here's the next chapter!   
Gem Stone - Nope, I'm not giving any hints. The details about the babies have all been decided - I even have middle names for them!   
Pottersangel - Humour and romance are probably the two things I write best; thanx.   
silkdragon - Harry _does_ have a career, but seeing as he hasn't been in the fic much I haven't mentioned it (I also can't remember it off the top of my head). Thanx, I love writing Ron's fainting spells. You also gave me a very good idea...   
Maddy - Thanx!   
Saffron - Thanx, I try and update as regualry as possible. I'm back to school myself on Thursday, so I'm going to have less time for writing. Oh well, any homework I get'll have to wait!   
Veronica*James - Thanx!   
Athena Winner - Thanx!   
Mushroom - I thought it was very 'in-character' for him to propose like that as well.   
Teigra - It's nice to know you've got this on your favourite stories list (I refuse to spell it 'favorite').   
ronsspawn - Thanx. To be honest the title didn't mean anything at first, then it just fited into the story as the ideas came.   
Ginny Weasley - Thanx, I think I've read all the Ge/Hr stories as well (and F/Hr fics, though they're not as good! :D).   
Gwen Potter - Thanx!   
deemarie - Thanx, Ge/Hr is probably one of my favourite shippings; I hope I do it justice.   
heath - Thanx, but don't get too excited, there are only a few chapters left.   
wishing star - trust me, you're not going to die from lack of this fic. Though, just to be on the safe side, here's Chapter Ten.   
Dark Moon - Thanx!   
Faith McKay - Thanx - the next chapter should be out soon!   
Snufalufagus - They will probably get married after the babies are born (unless they elope, but I wouldn't do that!).   
malfoyslova15 - Thanx!   
Slytherin Witch - It won't be too long until you find out - just a few more chapters.   
elijahsbaby1981 - I wouldn't do that!   
Tracy - I hope this is soon enough. The next chapter will be out soon. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

***

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Eleven**

***

With the sound of the bedroom door opening, Hermione sat bolt upright. At least, she sat up as fast as she could in her condition. Glancing swiftly at the window, and the sunlight pouring in from between the curtains she knew instantly that she should have been awake hours before. 

And that she should have been at work. 

"Hermione, calm down. You're not late for work." George's voice was reassuring, and just hearing it made Hermione relax considerably. 

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Hermione asked, eyeing the tray that George had placed on the table beside their bed. "And what's that for?" 

George kissed her gently. "For a start I know you _very_ well. And secondly..." he picked up a single flower from the tray and handed it to her. "Happy Valentine's day." 

Hermione blushed, taking the white lily from George. "Thank you," she whispered, inhaling its scent. "It's lovely." 

"If you think that's good," George moved around on the bed so he could sit closer to his fiancée, "then you'll love this." Out of his pocket he removed a dark red box, tied with a thin golden ribbon. He passed it to her. "For you." 

Curiously, Hermione opened it. Inside were two golden bands. One was plain, and larger than the other, the second was daintier and had a sparkling diamond encrusted in it. 

"An engagement ring for you," George explained, taking the smaller one from the box and placing it carefully on Hermione's finger, "and an engagement ring for me." He removed the larger ring as well and placed it upon his own finger. 

Gazing in wonderment at the ring, Hermione said, "People'll realise we're engaged if we start wearing them." 

George shrugged. "So?" He kissed her cheek lightly. "I love you and I love the fact that I'm engaged to you. I want to tell everyone!" 

"Your mother'll be angry that we didn't tell her straight away," Hermione pointed out. 

"Yeah, but Dad or one of my brother's will do something and she'll forget all about it." At first Hermione thought George was being quite philosophical about the whole thing. Then she realised he was telling the truth and that one of the Weasley men usually _did_ do something to distract Molly when another did something wrong. It was like an in-built mechanism or a protection system. 

"I suppose you're right," Hermione agreed, pushing a flyaway piece of hair behind her ear. She grinned. "Do you want your present now?" 

George nodded, a similar expression on his face to that of a young child on Christmas morning. Still smiling, Hermione climbed off the bed, the breakfast that George had bought her now forgotten, and walked over to her dressing table. Rummaging around in the drawer, she pulled out a box, fairly similar to the one George had given her except it was a midnight blue in colour and was tied with a silver string. 

"It's not terribly romantic," she admitted, handing it to him, and looking a bit apprehensive. 

Ripping the lid off, George discovered an antique gold pocket watch inside. "It was my father's," Hermione explained. "It's been in my family for quite a few years now. The watch gets handed down from generation to generation of Granger's. Now it's yours." 

"But Hermione," George breathed, "I can't accept this. It's a family heirloom." 

"Yes. And that's why I'm giving it to you. When I went to see my parents last week my dad told me to give it to you." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes!" Hermione smiled at him. "Of course I'm sure, George. It's yours." She took his hand in hers, and held it against her stomach. "And one day we'll give it to one of our children and they'll give it to one of theirs..." 

"Hermione, I'm still getting used to the idea of being a father. Being a grandfather is a long way off." 

Hermione nodded. "I know. I feel the same way." She kissed him, before saying, "In the mean time, we have to prepare for being parents. Today we're going to go to your mother's and you're going to tell her we're engaged." 

George's brow furrowed. "Why me?" he asked. 

"Because you're her son," was Hermione's reply. 

***

For Molly Weasley, the news that George was finally getting married (he was her only unmarried child apart from Ginny, though she was getting married in about a month's time), had made her what felt like the happiest woman on Earth. After she had stopped yelling. By them time she had let George and Hermione leave the Burrow (nearly five hours after they had arrived), Molly appeared to have already picked out Hermione's dress, the flowers and even the location. 

At first she had been adamant that they got married before the twins were born, but when Hermione had threatened not to call them Weasley's (and George had supported her), Molly had backed down. It seemed that that was the one thing she was most worried about. 

Hermione was worried that Molly was going to try and take over their wedding plans and do everything for them, but George had quietly reminded her that it was just his mother's excitement talking. In a bid to change the subject, George casually asked his mother how the preparations for Ginny and Peter's wedding were going. 

Molly didn't seem to realise that he had carefully steered the conversation away from himself and Hermione, but Hermione did, and she gave his hand an appreciative squeeze. "Thanks," she mouthed. 

"No problem," he mouthed in return, while Molly was in full flow of describing exactly what the wedding cake was going to be like. 

From what Hermione could tell, there was going to be enough wedding cake to feed a small army. If that really was the case, there was probably going to be enough food at the reception to feed a small European country for a week. 

She sincerely hoped her wedding wouldn't turn out like that. 

A week or so later, Molly practically ordered Hermione around to the Burrow. When the owl had arrived telling her, Hermione had sighed deeply. 'She probably wants to discuss wedding plans.' What with Ginny's upcoming wedding and now George and Hermione's engagement, conversations at the Burrow appeared to revolve around two things - weddings and babies. Hermione's name tended to get mentioned rather a lot in both subjects. 

Hermione arrived at ten o'clock, dressed in new green robes. She seemed to be growing out of her robes at an astonishing rate. Molly greeted her and, rather than taking her to the kitchen where they usually sat and talked, she took Hermione into the living room. 

Arthur was nowhere to be seen, and Hermione had the feeling that he was probably outside doing something in the garden. 

"So..." said Molly uneasily, as though not sure what to say to her future daughter-in-law. This was rather unusual for her, as Molly usually had something to say about everything. Hermione tried to avoid eye contact with her. It was a very uncomfortable situation. 

Her eyes gazed around the room. To her surprise, there was not a hint of a wedding magazine or a baby bootie anywhere. It was about then that Hermione realised Molly wasn't going to talk to her about either babies _or_ weddings. 

"This has all happened rather quickly, hasn't it?" 

Hermione was confused. "What has?" 

Molly smiled slightly. "You and George. A year ago you and he was just friends. Now..." she gestured at Hermione's bump, making Hermione blush. 

"I suppose it has. Then again, love works in mysterious ways. All it took for us to realise it was a romantic setting and a bit too much to drink." Hermione stared at her engagement ring. "Now I can't imagine being without him." 

"You really do love him, don't you?" Molly sounded faintly surprised as if she had only just realised it. Hermione nodded. 

"More than I ever thought I could love someone," she admitted. 

Molly's smile broadened. "I always knew you'd make a wonderful addition to this family, Hermione. Though I have to admit I always believed you'd fall for Ron. I should have known better. You're too much like me." 

Hermione laughed nervously. She supposed Molly was right. For a long time it had seemed that herself and Ron would end up getting married. Then they had actually dated and realised that they just didn't 'click'. "What do you mean I'm too much like you?" she asked. 

The older woman grinned, and Hermione could see where George got his smile from. "I fell for my best friend's older brother too," she said, gazing fondly at a picture of herself and Arthur that was sat on the mantelpiece. 

Hermione was still feeling surprised by this revelation a couple of minutes later when Fred burst into the living room, his face flushed and eyes wild. Hermione stood up instantly. 

"George," she said in barely more than a whisper. "What's happened to him?" 

Fred was out of breath. "He's in St. Mungo's," he explained in a rush. "He's been in a car crash." 

***

_**A/N:** Well, there you go. Another cliffhanger. Sorry this chapter has been taking so long. My only excuse is that RL has been getting in the way. A lack of inspiration is also to blame. Anyway, there are just a couple of chapters left now... Please review._

_Review, Flame, Whatever._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Ten:_   
lilysclone - Thanks for pointing that out to me. I had no idea I'd made that mistake! Hmmm... I'll probably be getting a beta reader for any future fics to avoid that sort of thing.   
Black Rein - Sorry this chapter has been so long in coming. RL is a pesky thing and gets in the way. I haven't really been inspired to write anything, either.   
Tigerz_Angel - Thanx!   
anastacy - Thanx!   
Zurizip - You're not the first person to mention that. Luckily I have the entire plot worked out and know exactly what's going to happen. My readers, on the other hand, will have to wait...   
PunyPrincesss13 - Thanx!   
Saffron - I'm very sorry this chapter has taken so long. I hope you're not mad yet...   
JennyBean - lol. You're very good at flattery. I'm glad you liked the way George proposed - it was a sudden stroke of inspiration. As for Ginny being annoying; to be honest I can't stand her, hence her annoying-ness.   
Bella O - Thanx!   
Mandy Moo - Sorry to keep you waiting...   
Rosebud - I think 'peeved' is fairly mild to what Molly will be like when she finds out they kept it from her.   
Mistress Sock - Yay! I'm on another persons favourite list!   
malfoyslova15 - Erm... I dunno what you said...   
Alizee - I will write another fic after this one. I kind of have a Ge/Hr fic in mind, but that one isn't really giving me any inspiration at the moment. I am planning on writing a novel length fic at some point as well...   
Kirjava - The next chapter is finally here!   
Leeta - Thanx, I love writing funny stuff.   
Slytherin Witch - I hope I haven't stretched your patience too far...   
Mushroom - Thanx!   
jade - 'This story's plot is just so, simple, yet so complex to the point that i don't have a clue as to what is going to happen...' I couldn't have put it better myself! :D   
Snufalufagus - Okay, let me answer your questions: 1. Yes, at the beginning when I didn't really have a plot worked out, I felt like this story was writing itself. It came to me half-formed, and when I typed it just flowed. Except when it didn't and I got really frustrated. 2. I'm not telling!   
reena - No, she's _not_ having triplets. I've already decided on the twins and what their names are going to be.   
Katriona - Thanx!   
Nicole - Thanx!   
Heather - Thanx! If you want to read some other good Ge/Hr fics, I'd check out Dungbombs & S.P.E.W (Which, coincidently is the name of the Ge/Hr ship!).   
Bryn - Thanx!   
mystical - Thanx!   
Gem Stone - Nope, I'm not giving any hints away.   
JoeBob1379 - Thanx. A lot of people guessed that she was pregnant when I mentioned the cravings.   
Maddy - Thanx, I'm trying my best!   
PEZROCKS13 - I guess I should feel honoured that you reviewed, then! :D Actually, I agree whole-heartedly with you about the review thing. I read some fics which have loads of reviews and I'm like: well, that was a load of... :D   
Pottersangel - I'm trying to write as fast as I can!   
Chavi - Don't worry about the Eugene's of the world - I'm sure they can stand up for themselves. Anyway, I only picked that name because I'm in a production of Grease at the moment.   
Ashiri - I'm keeping my lips firmly sealed about that.   
Frosti1117 - Don't worry, I only have a few more chapters to go...   
heath - Thanx!   
Teigra - Yup, he's going to be a daddy again. There'll be a baby brother or sister for Alexander. George and Hermione's wedding will be at some point when the babies are slightly older, I think. And as I've said to several others, I'm not saying anything about Ginny's wedding.   
Faith McKay - The twins will arrive in a couple of chapters. Just be patient... 


	12. Chapter Twelve

***

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Twelve**

***

Hermione didn't actually remember getting to the hospital. It all happened so fast that all a blur. Her desperate need to get to George seemed to get in the way of all rational thoughts. 

By the time they got to the hospital wing George had been admitted to, she had nearly cursed Fred's ears of because he nearly got in her way. By the time they got to the reception desk he was practically in hysterics. When she looked back on this a few years later, she realised she must have looked a sight: a heavily pregnant woman sobbing uncontrollably and threatening to curse anyone who told her to calm down. 

Fred managed to lead Hermione to a seat. He even got her a cup of tea. At first she refused it, but then decided she might as well drink it. She was still crying though, and a nurse actually asked Fred (discreetly, of course), if he thought it would be a good idea to sedate her. 

He decided against it, knowing Hermione would probably do several unspeakable things to him when she had recovered. 

The waiting room they had been shown into had a strange smell to it. Somewhere between pine disinfectant and broccoli. Fred didn't like broccoli. 

When Hermione managed to regain control of her emotions (she blamed her hormones), she found her voice. "What happened?" 

"We were going to a meeting with one of our Muggle suppliers," Fred explained. 3W's supplies for their products didn't come solely from Wizarding suppliers - there were certain materials which needed to be acquired from Muggle manufacturers. "We were going across Dartmoor and out of nowhere a pony stepped into the road. George swerved and... bang. We hit a signpost. The car got mangled and George was thrown about a bit." 

"But you're okay?" 

"I've got a couple of cuts and bruises. Nothing serious." 

Hermione was a bit confused by this. "But how come he was hurt worse than you?" She shifted slightly on her uncomfortably lumpy chair to face Fred. 

Fred bit his lip. He wasn't exactly sure how to tell her this. _To Hell with it..._ he decided. "He wasn't wearing his seatbelt." 

Hermione swore under her breath. 

"My reaction exactly," commented Fred. 

"Excuse me, Miss Granger?" 

Hermione looked up. Stood in front of her was a woman, probably a couple of years older than herself. Hermione vaguely recognised her and decided that she was probably at Hogwarts with her. She stood up, attempting to straighten her green robes. "Yes?" 

"I'm Doctor Larson." 

"Is George all right?" Hermione asked quickly. 

The doctor consulted a clipboard, brushing a piece of her blonde hair out of her face. "George has suffered a few fractures, a lot of bruising and a punctured lung." 

Hermione let out a strangled sob. The doctor made it sound like her shopping list rather than a list of injuries. 

"Don't worry, Miss Granger, we've patched him up as good as new. We want to keep him in overnight to keep an eye on him in case anything happens, but other than that he'll be free to go in the morning." 

_'Free to go?' Now she's making it sound like he's in prison._ Hermione decided that she didn't really like this doctor. 

"Can I see him now?" she sniffed. 

"Of course. He's in Room 367. Just down the corridor and to the right." 

Hermione was there faster than a Summoning Charm. 

George was in his room, sat on the bed reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. He looked no different than normal except a little paler. Hermione could even smell a cup of his favourite coffee on the bedside table long before she saw it. 

She rushed at him, embracing him before he could barely register she was in the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Fred stood at the doorway, Mrs Weasley not far behind him. Pulling back, she slapped him. Hard. 

"Bloody hell! he exclaimed. "What was that for?" she asked, rubbing his cheek which now sported a red mark. 

"That was for making me worry!" Hermione said angrily. "And for not wearing your seatbelt." 

George winced. He had had a feeling that would be something Hermione would find out about. "I forgot!" he apologised. 

"You forgot?" asked Hermione in disbelief. "You _forgot_? How can you forget something as important as that? It's not like forgetting to put the toilet seat down!" 

"Please don't get mad, Little Bee. I'm sorry." 

Hermione softened slightly at the use of her nickname. 

"See?" George continued, tapping his chest. "As good as new. I've never felt better." 

Hermione scowled, and prodded him in the ribs. George winced, a squeak of pain escaping him. 

"Okay," he relented, "so I'm a _little_ bit sore." 

There was a soft 'click' as the door was closed behind her. Fred and Molly had obviously decided to allow them some privacy. 

Softly, and not looking at him, Hermione said, "I was so frightened. I thought you were going to die." 

"But I didn't!" George gently reminded her, smoothing her hair. "In a couple of days it'll be like it never happened." 

"But it did! That's the whole point." She kissed him gently. "I don't think I could _bear_ it if anything ever happened to you." A tear rolled down her cheek and George automatically wiped it away with his thumb. "Promise me you'll never do anything stupid like that again. _Ever_." 

"I promise," he assured her quietly, before tilting her head upwards and sealing his promise with a kiss. 

***

The next morning Dr Larson proclaimed George fit enough to go home. He still had to take a potion every few hours (punctured lungs were actually quite difficult to repair, even with magic), but other than that he was fine. Hermione insisted that they Apparated home, though - even when it was repaired, George had a feeling that she wasn't going to them him near the car for quite a while. 

They were just at the Apparition point outside the hospital (there were strict hospital rules that you were not allowed to Apparate or Disapparate inside the hospital, hence the Apparition point) when they were nearly knocked over by someone in a rush to get somewhere. In fact, George _was_ knocked over. 

"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione in disapproval. "What are you rushing for?" she asked as Ron helped his older brother to his feet. "George has just come out of hospital - I don't want to have to admit him again!" 

"Amanda!" Ron managed to pant. "Hospital... baby... labour..." 

George and Hermione looked at each other in astonishment. "About turn," ordered George, and he and Hermione accompanied Ron into the hospital, attempting to calm him down. He was getting rather flustered and couldn't talk in complete sentences. Luckily George had know Ron for Ron's entire life and Hermione had been his best friend since they were eleven, so it was fairly easy to work out what he was attempting to say. 

"Me at work... owl... rush..." 

"Does Mum know?" asked George. He knew Molly Weasley would want to know if one of her grandchildren was on the way. 

Ron managed to nod. "Yeah... I sent... owl." 

"She'll be here in a minute, then," said Hermione, pushing Ron into a chair in the waiting room. Pushing a piece of hair out of her eyes, she went off to the reception desk to inquire about Amanda. She returned a few minutes later. 

"Amanda is in Room 130, recovering," she announced happily. 

Ron turned a nasty shade of white at this announcement, and he leapt to his feet. he grabbed onto Hermione's shoulder's in an attempt to keep himself upright. "Recovering? Does that mean..." 

Hermione nodded and Ron was gone before she had a chance to tell him anything else. 

Because of various medical problems, Amanda had been advised to have a caesarean section by the doctors. A date for the birth _had_ been set, but Amanda had seemingly gone into labour earlier. According to the nurse, Amanda had arrived at the hospital an hour beforehand in a quite a panic as she hadn't been expecting to go into labour at all. 

Amanda had given birth to a very healthy baby about twenty minutes before Ron's arrival. 

"Is it a boy or a girl?" George asked curiously, standing up. 

"A boy," Hermione informed him. "Seven pounds three, apparently. No name yet, but that's understandable." 

Congratulations Ron and Amanda," said George in awe. He gazed at Hermione. "I suppose we're next for this, y'know." 

Hermione groaned. "Please don't remind me." She smiled. "Not long now, is there?" 

George shook his head. He gingerly placed a hand on Hermione's stomach. One of the babies kicked obligingly, making a huge grin spread across his freckled face. 

A loud voice interrupted the tender moment. "Right - where are they?" 

Looking around, they saw Harry appear in the waiting room, a bunch of lilies in one hand and several helium-filled balloons with the word 'congratulations' written on them in sparkling letters which changed colour every few seconds. 

The green-eyed man was also struggling to carry a very large teddy bear which had to be at least three feet tall and had a white bow around it's neck. George quickly rushed to relieve him of his load, moments before Harry would have dropped the flowers. 

For the next half an hour there was a constant stream of redheads into the waiting rooms, all bearing gifts of some kind. Thankfully the waiting room had been empty before that. Molly Weasley seemed to be a bit overwhelmed by it all and was sobbing in the corner whilst being comforted by Katherine and Meredith. She kept mumbling something about her youngest son and him being all grown up. 

Nearly an hour after Ron had rushed off upon hearing the news, the redhead appeared nervously in the waiting room, holding his new son. Amanda appeared behind him, looking tired, but happy nonetheless. 

"Can we have everyone's attention?" asked Ron, loudly. 

They didn't get everyone's attention at once, so Amanda spoke loudly above their voices. "Oi, pipe down!" 

There was a slight chuckle at this. Hermione was surprised that the baby didn't make any sounds from all the noise. Then, she realised, he was asleep and he must have inherited his father's ability to sleep through anything. 

"We would like to introduce our son, the newest addition to the Weasley clan," announce Ron proudly, a very large smile gracing his face. "May I present Richard Julian Weasley." 

***

_**A/N:** Phew - George is safe and well. I can't believe how many people thought I was going to kill him off: as if I'd do I thing like that! :D The Weasley clan now has a new member: Baby Richard. Baby Richard's cousins are going to have to get a move on though.   
That's right: there's just **one** more chapter of 'Chocolate & Pumpkin Ice Cream' left. Watch out for Ginny's wedding and the arrival of the newest set of Weasley twins. Finally the many questions to whether the babies are boys or girls and their names will be answered!   
Please review - I enjoy your feedback. I am also very pleased to announced that I have passed the 300 review mark - a huuuuuuuge thankyou to everyone who has reviewed this fic._

_Review, Flame, Whatever._

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Eleven:_   
Dark Moon - Don't panic! He didn't die!   
Lilhpwitch - George isn't dead. I think you and a lot of other readers can now heave a huge sigh of relief.   
malfoygirl15 - If you need help with your fic, feel free to email me (my address is in my profile). I can't make any promises that I can help, but I can try.   
punkpixie87 - I know, I know. I'm very behind on my writing. My muse for this fic seems to be on a permenant holiday. Count yourself lucky - if I hadn't written out a plan for this fic then I wouldn't be posting anything at all.   
caillean - Yes, cliffhangers are evil. I tend to get that reaction every time I write one (I tend to write at least two or three per fic, I'm afriad).   
Lily H.Potter - I'm glad you like my sense of humour. I have to say I agree with you whole-heartedly - I'm a H/Hr shipper myself primarily, but if Hermione has to be with a Weasley it's got to be a twin.   
ali weasley - I'm writing as much as I can. Only one chapter left now, I'm sorry to say.   
Mistress Sock - I try to update as soon as I can. I felt that I had to stop it there - it was part of my fiendish plot.   
Saffron - See? I didn't make him die. You can relax now...   
SparkySparkles - Wow, I think I might have converted someone! :) I'm glad you like the fic.   
wickedstepsister - I'm pleased you like the story. Sorry it's taken me so long to post this chapter.   
Kirjava - Hope you enjoy this chapter.   
Alanna - Thank you. I'm glad you think this fic is so good.   
totowizofoz - Yup, another chapter!   
janie - I'm writing as fast as I can. I alternate writing chapters of this fic and chapters of another one.   
dmbabe - It's nice to see that you like something different that what you normally read. I get a lot of comments like that from people telling me that they normally read other fics but think this one's good.   
Lexxy - I'm so sorry 'Age of Apocalypse' hasn't been updated in such a long time. That's kind of on the backburner. Woah... I've just realised that I can't even remember what the plot is it's been so long. Hmm... maybe when I've finished this and 'Happily Ever After?' I should start working on it as a side-project.   
Cami of Queenscove - Thanks for adding me to your favourites list. I'm glad you're enjoying the fic.   
Chavi - I really hope I haven't left you hanging for too long. Sorry it's taken so long to write this. Unfortunately real life and two other fics have got in my way!   
mystical - Thanx!   
Snufalufagus - It wasn't cool, I agree. But it was fun writing that cliffhanger!   
ronsspawn - That's a very good point, but you have to remember that the Weasley's had their Ford Anglia (until it got crashed into the Whomping Willow) and the Ministry of Magic has several cars, so I suppose cars are a part of Wizarding life as well.   
VegaTenshi - Thanx!   
JennyBean - Yes, I _did_ have to make him have a car accident - I didn't just put that car there for no reason. I'm very glad you're enjoying all my current fic (especialy 'The Spaces Between Shadows & Night' - I'm having a lot of fun writing that!).   
JoeBob1379 - Molly falling for her best friend's older brother was just a sudden stroke of inspiration on my behalf. Glad you liked it.   
Mary - I've written more! Don't worry (and try not to spill anything on your screen)!   
jd - Yeah, Chudley. :D Evidently I decided not to go with that _particular_ name. I suppose it can always be a nickname for him!   
fluffy-rose - Thanx!   
Alizee - He didn't die!   
Whystical - Yes, I've read their fics. Actually, I've read most of the George/Hermione fics on ff.net.   
Gwen Potter - Yes, I'm evil. Lots of people tell me that,so I suppose it must be true. *sigh* Glad you liked the interaction with Molly and Hermione and the rings.   
Tigerz_Angel - I hope I didn't have you waiting for too long!   
Gem Stone - Thanx! I think is probably one of my best fics as well.   
Mushroom - Yes, I cnan put a cliffhanger there, and I did. I shall be posting the next (and last!) chapter of 'Happily Ever After?' at some point in the very near future. I haven't actually written it yet, I have to admit.   
Maddy - I'm evil. That has been established. I should change my author name to 'The Evil silver phoenix'. Or maybe not.   
Kylee - Thanx!   
heath - I like to surprise people. That's the thing about my writing - I put in these cliffhangers and situations that no-one expects!   
Pottersangel - Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter written!   
sTaCiE - He didn't die! Woohoo!   
lady fuchsia - Yeah, my list of reviewers has definitely been increasing. It takes me ages to do this thank you section as well! Ah well, I suppose that's a price I'm willing to pay...   
Heather - Thanx!   
Rosebud - He's all right! Don't worry!   
elijahsbaby1981 - Phew. I stopped a reviewer from blowing up.   
Black Rein - No, I didn't give up on the story. I would never do that, especially to this story.   
alicia - Take it easy, I would never kill off one of my main characters unless I really had to. Luckily I don't have to at all, so George is safe and well (if a little sore).   
Punkyprincesss13 - Thanx! 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

***

**CHOCOLATE & PUMPKIN ICE CREAM   
Chapter Thirteen**

***

Ginny was pacing the room, quite unable to keep still even for the briefest moment. Hermione rolled her eyes, at the same time having an intense feeling of deja vu. 

"How much long is it?" she asked Hermione. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Hermione informed Ginny that the ceremony would start in half an hour. 

"Oh." For once, Ginny stopped pacing. "Hermione," she asked curiously, "do you remember when you came round to the Burrow just after you found out you were expecting." 

Hermione thought back. "Just after Penelope had Anastacia?" she asked. Ginny nodded in confirmation. 

"That's right. Do you remember how I was teasing you about being pregnant when you got married? And I said something along the lines of 'at least I won't be pregnant when I walk down the isle'?" 

Hermione's brown eyes widened. "Ginny..." she breathed, realising what the youngest Weasley was implying. 

The redhead grinned nervously, a red flush spreading across her cheeks. "I found out yesterday," she told Hermione. She looked a bit worried. "Peter doesn't know," she warned Hermione. "Please don't tell anyone. I want it to be a surprise." 

"Oh, it will be," Hermione told her. 

There was a loud knock at the door. Without waiting for an invitation, it burst open and Harry came in, a huge grin adorning his face. He looked slightly dazed and full of energy. 

"Harry, what is it?" asked Hermione standing up to pour her friend a glass of water. He accepted it gratefully. Without taking a sip he said, "She said yes!" Hermione gasped and hugged Harry tightly, if not awkwardly, owing to her rather large stomach. 

"When?" she demanded. 

"This morning!" 

Harry had first proposed to Laura back in December on her birthday. She had refused, saying she had wanted to wait a while. Harry, being as persistent as ever had kept asking her. At one point Hermione was sure Laura was on the verge of cursing Harry if he asked her again. But now it seemed that she had finally said yes: Harry Potter was getting married. 

"Congratulations, Harry," Ginny told him, kissing him on the cheek. "Goodness knows it's about time she came to her senses!" 

"Hey, I heard that!" Laura grinned from the doorway. Hermione spotted a diamond sparkling on her finger, and she appeared to have the same dazed expression as Harry. Ginny rushed over and hugged her, and started gabbling about wedding plans, seemingly forgetting that _she_ was getting married in about twenty-five minutes. 

Harry turned to Hermione. "This is all rather odd, isn't it? Ron's married and is now a very proud father, you're engaged and about to give birth and I'm engaged..." 

"I suppose this means we're all grown up now, doesn't it?" mused Hermione. Harry nodded. 

"We're officially adults, I think. Scary, eh?" 

"Not really. It's a lot like still being in school, except... it all seems worth it, doesn't it? All the teenage angst, the bad relationships, the drunken mistakes..." 

"I think our case the drunken mistakes are the best ones," a voice said from the doorway. George was there, dressed in his formal robes and a slight smirk playing upon his lips. Hermione snickered at this, knowing exactly what he was referring to: if the two of them hadn't got extremely drunk on vodka shots at Ron's wedding they wouldn't have ended up together. 

He crossed over to Harry and Hermione, slipping an arm around Hermione's waist. "Is it all right if I steal my fiancée, Harry? Mum wants to see her." 

"Go ahead," Harry told them. "I'd better save Laura from Ginny. Honestly, she's like a miniature version of your mother!" Hermione giggled at this and George nodded his agreement before leading Hermione out of the room. 

"So what does Molly want to see me about?" asked Hermione, fiddling with her engagement ring. 

"She doesn't. I just wanted to do this." George kissed her deeply, and Hermione blinked in surprise. 

"What was that for? Not that I don't mind," she added hastily. 

He shrugged lightly. "Nothing. It's just that I don't think I'll be able to go to another wedding without thinking about that first night in France. It was... _magical_." Hermione nodded. 

"I don't think I could have described it any better myself," Hermione told him, kissing him gently. She pulled back. "We should probably go to the chapel," she said, a trace of sadness in her voice. Clearly she was enjoying herself too much to leave. 

"Yeah," agreed George, wrinkling his nose. He kissed Hermione once more and they Disapparated with a 'pop'. 

Fred and Katherine were waiting for them outside of the chapel, and Fred rolled his eyes seeing the couple in an embrace when they Apparated. "Do you two ever come up for air?" he asked in despair. 

"Not if we can help it," George told him with a grin, and Hermione smacked his arm playfully. 

"George!" she scolded. George just grinned. 

When Ginny was led down the isle by Arthur Weasley, Hermione saw Molly Weasley sniffing before bursting into a flood of tears. She smiled at this. Ginny was her youngest child, and the only girl; this must have felt like the end of an era for her. But, Hermione reminded herself, there was still one Weasley who wasn't married. _Not for long though_, she though looking at the ring on her finger. 

She felt George reach for her hand as the vows were taken, and he squeezed it reassuringly, giving her a smile that made her knees feel weak. At that moment, Hermione couldn't think of anything better than getting married. 

At least, she couldn't until one of the babies kicked. 

***

Hearing the bell above the door chime, Fred looked up from the display he had been doing. "Hermione," he sighed. "You should be at home." 

Upon hearing Hermione's name, George emerged from the workshop. "Hermione!" he said rather shrilly, "Go home." 

"No," she frowned, sinking into a chair behind the counter. She dusted off the till with her sleeve. "There's nothing to do at home." 

"What about sleeping?" George suggested. "You look exhausted." 

"That's because I am," Hermione admitted. "All that kicking kept me awake last night." 

"The babies giving you hassle?" asked Fred sympathetically. 

Hermione gave a slight snort at this. "The babies? No, I was on about George!" she said pointing at George who flushed a brilliant red. 

"You kept stealing the covers," he said in his defense. 

"That's only because they can barely fit over my stomach!" Hermione snapped. She winced slightly, rubbing her abdomen. George was at her side in a flash. 

"Hermione, are you all right?" he asked concernedly, rubbing her back. She shrugged off his hand. 

"I'm fine," she assured him. "It's just Braxton hicks contractions. I've been getting them since last night." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes, George." Her patience was starting to wear thin now. "Can I have a drink of water?" she asked. George nodded and raced out to the back. 

"You sure you're all right?" Fred asked. "Kath had those when she was expecting Alex, but they never lasted more than a few hours." 

"Well, I'm not Katherine," said Hermione through gritted teeth. 

"Morning, all," said Bill Weasley, brightly, pushing open the door to 3W, his wife Shannon not far behind him. 

"Hi, Bill," said Hermione, glad of a distraction. "Where are Ben and Serena?" she asked. 

"With Grandma Weasley, who else?" said Shannon with a smile. "She offered to look after them, and who am I to pass up a chance to get away from children for a while?" 

Shannon worked at the St. Hedwig's Maternity Hospital. It was another Wizarding hospital, though was situated in Ireland and, obviously, was a maternity hospital. She worked as a midwife, and so out of all the Weasley wife's she probably knew the most about childbirth. 

George appeared through the door, carefully carrying a glass of water. He handed it to Hermione, who sipped gently at it. "Thanks," she told him. 

"How are you, Hermione?" asked Bill. 

"Would I be a really bad person if I said I didn't want to be pregnant any more?" Hermione asked. 

Shannon chuckled at this. "Not at all. I felt the same way when I had Benjamin. You haven't got long now, though." 

Hermione nodded and smiled, glad of this, and then finished her water in a couple of gulps. She set the glass down, and said, "I think I might go and get some ice cream." 

She stood up, then sat down quickly, hands clasped to her stomach and nearly doubled over. "Or maybe not," she decided, moaning slightly. George was quickly trying to comfort her, one of his hands hold her smaller one. 

Fred looked rather pale. "I don't think those are Braxton hicks," he told Hermione. 

"You could be right," Hermione told him, doubling over again as another wave of pain came. Fred saw George nearly bite through his bottom lip as Hermione's grip on his hand increased. 

"Definitely not," said Shannon, shedding her robes. "Come on, Hermione; we need to get you to the hospital." 

Hermione shook her head. "It hurts too much." 

"You're telling me," George mumbled, and Hermione shot him a deadly glare. Hermione grimaced, and got to her feet. Almost immediately she sank to the floor, resting her back against the wall. 

"Hermione," asked Shannon quickly, "how long have you been getting these contractions?" 

"Since last night," George told her, and Hermione confirmed this with a nod. 

Shannon sighed. "I'd better have a look at you then," she said. "I think we could be a bit too late to get to the hospital." 

A few minutes later, Shannon confirmed this. 

"You mean the babies are going to be born _here_?" asked Bill. "In the joke shop?" 

Shannon stood and nodded. She strode over to the door, switching the sign from 'open' to 'closed'. 

"Can't we Apparate or Floo or something?" asked George in a panic. Hermione gripped his hand tighter as another contraction came. "Or perhaps get some pain killers." 

"She's too far along," Shannon told him. "It's much too dangerous. And I can't administer anything other than mild pain relief without a doctor." 

"I meant for me!" George told her. His hand was starting to turn purple. 

Hermione gave a yell of pain, not really paying any attention to what else was going on. "I think I can see a head!" Bill exclaimed. Fred looked and promptly fainted. Bill raised an eyebrow at this, but left his younger brother where he was. There were more important things to deal with than fainting Weasleys. 

"I don't care if you can see a bloody head or not! Just get these babies out of me!" Hermione ordered. 

***

"Congratulations, Hermione. You are now the mother of two very healthy babies." 

As Shannon passed her son to her, Hermione held her breath slightly. It was completely unbelievable. George smiled warmly at her, squeezing her hand gently. "Well done," he whispered, gazing in awe at her. He looked at his daughter who was asleep in his arms. 

"I can't believe it," he said. 

"You're not the only one," Hermione said quietly. Running a finger along her son's cheek, she said, "I can't believe it's all over." 

"It was all worth it." George couldn't stop staring at his daughter. _His_ daughter. His _daughter_. 

Fred had regained consciousness shortly before Hermione had delivered the second baby and quickly excused himself to the workshop where he came back with a bottle of bubble and some wine glasses. "So have you thought of any names yet?" asked Fred. 

George and Hermione looked at each other. Hermione gave a slight nod. George was just about to say something when there were two small 'pop's' and Harry and Ron appeared, their arms full of an abundance of flowers, balloons and, of course, two giant teddy bears. 

"I Flooed them," explained Fred. "I thought you'd want them to come." Hermione nodded gratefully, smiling at Fred. Ron was looking in wonder at his niece, whose blue eyes were wide open and staring at him. 

"So what are they called, then?" asked Shannon. 

"Well," started George, "we've been discussing names for a long time and we finally made a decision last night." 

"And?" asked Ron, tearing his gaze away from his niece. 

Hermione answered him, tiredness filling her voice. "You're newest nephew is Matthew Robert Jacob Weasley." 

"And," continued George, "the newest female Weasley is Allison Elizabeth Piper Weasley." 

"They sound perfect," said Harry. 

"They should; It took us long enough to choose them," Hermione told him. 

"This calls for a celebration," announced Fred. He held up the bottle of champagne. "Champagne anyone?" 

***

**THE END**

***

_**A/N:** Well, it's finally the end. My final author note and final review section. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. I also hope that the wait for the babies was worth it. Please review this chapter - I greatly appreciate your feedback: if it wasn't for people liking this so much, then I wouldn't have continued writing it, or I wouldn't have written so much. _

At present I have no plans for a sequel, so don't ask for one. If I feel like writing one and the right plot comes to me, then I will, but until then, there won't be. I have rough plans for another Ge/Hr fic, though. The working title is something like 'Kiss Chase', though I hate that and so probably won't use it. It'll give you something to think about until I start writing it. In the mean time I am also going to start uploading this fic to the Astromony Tower. At the moment I am also writing 'The Spaces Between Shadows & Night' with another writer which is a Harry/Draco story and I am planning on continuing with one of my older fics which I have neglected. And there's the Buffy/HP crossover... Add in RL and you see why I don't update as often as I should. 

A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this fic - I had no idea this fic would become so popular or that I'd make so many people like Ge/Hr - thank you for all your support: you've been wonderful. 

One last time: 

_**Review, Flame, Whatever.**_

_Here's a thanks section for Chapter Twelve:_   
Black Rein - She had them!   
Dark Moon - I updated as soon as I could.   
punkpixie87 - Sorry I scared you. George was all right in the end, though, thankfully. I would never have seriously injured him, anyway.   
jd - I hope my reviews will go past 400. That would be so great. Maybe 'Chudley' can be a nickname for Ron's son.   
Maggie May - Thanks for bringing up those points. When Hermione and George said the babies might not be Weasley's they were basically telling Molly to leave them alone and they were going to do things their way. Having the babies called Granger would probably be the thing that would upset Molly the most because she's so proud of her family.   
VegaTenshi - Sorry it took me so long to update.   
Meggin - Thanx. I'm glad you like George so much.   
Gliniel of Tirragen - Sorry it took so long for me to update!   
heath - I know, it is a bit sad when stories end. I've been writing this fic for so long, it's difficult to actually come to a definite end.   
ali weasley - I don't really think Molly Weasley minded going to the hospital twince - especially not thwn it meant she wold have another grandchild.   
Yunami The Dragon - I liked Harry in that chapter. I have the vision of his with this huge teddy bear that he's struggling to hold, a huge grin on his face and balloons and flowers surrounding him. I'm glad you like my Weasley family.   
Chavi - Sorry there wasn't too much about Ginny's wedding.   
elijahsbaby1981 - I don't really think anyone expected the name I came up with!   
deemarie - I'm very pleased you like this story so much. I think it's one of my best to date.   
JoeBob1379 - Sadly, there won't be a sequel. I don't have any plot for one. Not yet anyway.   
Ashiri - Hermione reminds me of Molly a lot too.   
Gem Stone - Hope you liked it. At some point I suppose I **could** do a future ficlet, but not right now.   
Snufalufagus - I know, I should have posted sooner after that cliffhanger. I'm sorry this chapter took so long as well. Sometimes it takes a long time for inspriation to strike.   
Whystical - No, I'm not writing a sequel. Sorry.   
jillybean - This is the last chapter!   
Gwen Potter - I hope you liked the names of the twins. By the way, I'm really enjoying your Percy/Hermione fic. I can't wait to see what **their** baby is!   
acccupuncture - I hope you didn't worry too much. At least George was safe in the end, though he was a prat for not wearing a seatbelt.   
Sneezy Mouse - I know, it's a pity the story can't go on forever, but it would get boring after a few more chapters when I ran out of senarios and things to happen.   
mystical - I know; I wrote s many births I had to take a break, hence the big gap since updating last.   
ronsspawn - No, no Chudley. lol, I can just imagine Ron calling Richard that to annoy Amanda.   
SparkySparkles - No, I'm one for happy endings!   
Alizee - Exactly. I'm not completely evil. Hope you liked the chapter.   
Shannon - Hope you liked this chapter!   
lady fuchsia - I hope you liked this chapter and you're not too upset about it ending.   
JennyBean - Um... y'know, I'm not really sure where the name came from. It's just one of those strange things I can't explain but I just write anyway.   
Jamie - While there won't be a sequel, I might write some one-shot ficlets at some point about what happens next. At some point in the distance future, though, I hasten to add.   
Taryn - Hope you liked it!   
Saffron - I woulod never have used 'Chudley' as a name for the baby. Ron was just teasing Amanda.   
Tigerz_Angel - Hope you liked it!   
Adhara - Yeah, Age of Apocalypse is on the backburner. When I started writing The Matchmakers again, it kind of got forgotten about. I lost my passion for that series, actually. I feel it's a bit... juvenile, almost. It's just my old style of writing, I suppose.   
flutegirl - Thanx! Glad you liked it. Cool name, btw.   
Maddy - Argh! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter written. Hope you liked it.   
Mushroom - Yes, George is alive! And Ron's a dad. Wow.   
Christine El-Tawil - I'm glad you like my story so much. I don't mind about reviews, though they are appreciated. Having people enjoy my writing is enough for me. 


End file.
